Factors Affecting Acceptance of Electronic Medical Records System in Murang’a County Referral Hospital in Murang’a County, Kenya
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Date
2024-01
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
The acceptance of Electronic Medical Records systems deployed at healthcare facilities by the government, private institutions and Facility Based Organizations is paramount in achieving the intended outcomes of the systems. However, many systems face acceptance barriers. Many studies have been conducted in other countries to study the factors influencing acceptance and utilization of EMR technology, but still a few number of studies exist in Kenya. This study will seek to find out factors influencing acceptance of electronic medical records system in public health facilities using a case study of Murang’a County Referral Hospital in Murang’a County. Several literature pieces of the works of widely published scholars formed the basis of this study. In this study, the target population was 217 employees on permanent, contract and temporary terms at the Murang’a County Referral Hospital. These were selected from a population of 500 staff. The study objectives in this research was to establish the extent to which; knowledge capacity of staff on ICT, perception of users on Electronic medical Records, availability and status of Electronic medical Records infrastructure and workload influence the acceptability of Electronic Medical Records by users. To choose the participants, Stratified sampling method was used. The tool used in this research was a questionnaire. Both structured and unstructured questions were used. A Pre-test was conducted at Kenneth Matiba Eye and dental Hospital in Kenol Murang’a. The filled questionnaires were first edited for completeness and clarity. Quantitative data analysis was used in the study. The data collected was coded and analyzed using SPSS v20 and Microsoft Excel 2019. Descriptive Statistics using cross tabulation was used to describe the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The findings showed that majority (61%) of respondents had diploma qualifications as their highest level of education and huge number of respondents (76%) had comparable work experience ranging between 1 and 5 years. The study findings showed that 85% of the respondents were in agreement that EMR quickens clinical decision-making process and another 92% agreed that EMR makes it easier to retrieve medical records. The key finding was that majority of the respondents (81%) felt that it was difficult to create time to study EMR system with (M=1.2). As such, so as to enhance acceptance of EMR, Adequate staffing and adequate incentives to Acceptance of EMRs ought to be explored. This research recommends that future endeavors should explore more issues that may encourage the acceptance of EMR.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Health Information Management) in the School of Health Sciences of Kenyatta University