Influence of Electronic Health Records On the Performance of Healthcare Providers at Public Health Facilities in South Sudan

Abstract

The study took place at Juba teaching and referral hospital. The study used a case study approach. The aim of the study was to establish the influence of electronic health records systems adoption on the performance of healthcare providers in public health facilities. Specifically, the study examined how system quality, record quality, service quality, and knowledge quality affected the performance of healthcare providers in public health facilities at Juba Teaching Hospital. Descriptive research design was used to determine the influence of electronic health records systems adoption on the performance of healthcare providers. The study population comprised of 226 health workers working in Juba county public health facilities, including the hospital administrators, pharmacists, technologists, doctors, clinical officers, and nurses. A sample of 145 health workers was used for this study. The study employed the simple random sampling technique, where all the elements had equal chances of being chosen. A structured questionnaire was used in collecting primary data for this study. The secondary data was realized from books, journals and previous studies done. The study employed the use of a quantitative approach to fulfill its purpose. Furthermore, Pearson correlations were used to assess the strength of the association between the study variables. Finally, multiple regressions were run to find out the collective predictive power of the independent factors on the dependent variables. The study found and concluded that at the significance level of 95%, the study concludes that service quality and knowledge quality were significant factors in influencing the performance of healthcare providers at Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital. Further, the study concludes that system quality and record quality were insignificant determinants of the performance of healthcare providers at Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital. The study also concludes that the knowledge quality was the most significant factor in the performance of healthcare providers at Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital; followed by service quality. The study recommends that in promoting system quality; the EHR system should be reliable, secure, and easy to use. It should be able to handle large volumes of data without crashing or causing delays. The system should also have proper backup and disaster recovery mechanisms to ensure data is not lost in case of a system failure. The study recommends that in promoting record quality; EHR systems should ensure that the quality of the patient record is maintained. The system should be able to capture complete and accurate patient information, including medical history, medications, allergies, and other relevant details. The system should also be able to update the record in real-time to ensure that the information is always up to date. The study recommends that in promoting service quality; the vendor should provide training and support to healthcare providers to ensure they are proficient in using the system. The vendor should also have a responsive support team to address any issues that may arise promptly. The study recommends that in promoting knowledge quality; EHR systems should have a user-friendly interface that enables healthcare providers to access patient information easily.