ABSTRACT
Access to healthcare is regarded as a basic and essential human right. It is generally acknowledged that Information and Communication Technology solutions have potential to improve access to healthcare, reduce healthcare cost, reduce medical errors, and bridge the digital divide between rural and urban healthcare centres. The access to personal healthcare records is however, an astounding challenge for both patients and healthcare professionals alike, particularly within resource-restricted environments, such as rural communities. Most rural healthcare institutions have limited or non-existent access to electronic patient healthcare records. This paper explored the accessibility of personal healthcare records by patients and healthcare professionals within a rural community hospital in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A case study was conducted, where semi-structured interviews, observations, and interactive co-design sessions and focus groups were employed as the primary data collection methods in this study. The data was qualitatively interpreted using thematic analysis approach. A number of recommendations for improved access to personal healthcare records are discussed.
- Archer, N. et al., 2011. Personal health records: a scoping review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: JAMIA, 18(4), pp. 515--522.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Adão, W., 2013 Technology enabled self-care to overhaul healthcare industry.Google Scholar
- Al-nassar, B., Abdullah, M. & Osman, S., 2011. Overcoming challenges to use Electronic Medical Records System ( EMRs ) in Jordan Hospitals., 11(8), pp. 51--58.Google Scholar
- Ambali, A., Mugabe, J. and Mutero, M., 2009. Overview, Science, Technology and Innovation for Public Health in Africa. NEPAD publications, pp. 1--6Google Scholar
- Anand, S., 2000. Human Development and enconomic Sustainability. World Development, 29(12), pp. 2029--2049.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Botha, M., Botha, A. and Herselman, M., 2015, September. On the prioritization of data quality challenges in e-health systems in South Africa. In Proceedings of the 2015 Annual Research Conference on South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists (p. 5). ACM. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Botha, M., Botha, A. and Herselman, M., 2014, December. Data quality challenges: A content analysis in the e-health domain. In Information and Communication Technologies (WICT), 2014 Fourth World Congress on (pp. 107--112). IEEEGoogle Scholar
- Babbie, E., 2005. The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, California: WadsworthGoogle Scholar
- Cassel, C. & Guest, J., 2012. Helping Physicians and Patients Make Smart Decisions About Their Care. Jama, 307(17), p.1801.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Cline, G.B. & Luiz, J.M., 2013. Information technology systems in public sector health facilities in developing countries: the case of South Africa. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 13, p.13.Google Scholar
- Coleman, A., 2010. Developing an E-Health Framework Electronic Health Readiness Assessment.Google Scholar
- De la Harpe, R., 2008. Organizational Implications of Data Quality: A Social Perspective. Cape Peninsular University of Technology, South Africa.Google Scholar
- Eastern Cape Department of Health, 2011. Patient files missing, nurse arrested. Available at: http://www.gov.za/patient-files-missing-nurse-arrested {Accessed June 5, 2014}.Google Scholar
- Garrett, P. & Seidman, J., 2011. EMR vs. EHR---What is the Difference? Available at: http://www.healthit.gov/buzzblog/electronic-health-and-medical-records/emr-vs-ehrdifference/ {Accessed June 1, 2014}Google Scholar
- JobQna, 2008. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of computer versus paper-based medical library?Google Scholar
- Kahn, T., 2011. Government paves the way for move to paperless hospitals. Health Systems Trust. Available at: http://www.hst.org.za/news/government-paves-way-move-paperless-hospitals {Accessed May 14, 2014}Google Scholar
- Kidwai, S., 2014. EMR vs. EHR -- What is the Difference? Available at: https://drchrono.com/blog/emr-vs-ehr/ {Accessed October 1, 2014}.Google Scholar
- Kleynhans, A., 2011. Is South Africa ready for a national Electronic Health Record ( EHR )?Google Scholar
- Liu, S., Shih, P. & Hayes, G.R., 2011. Barriers to the adoption and use of personal health record systems. Proceedings of the 2011 iConference on - iConference '11, pp. 363--370. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Markle Foundation, 2003. Personal Health Working Group Final Report. Markle Connecting for Health. Available at: http://www.markle.org/publications/1429-personal-health-working-group-final-report {Accessed May 9, 2015}.Google Scholar
- Mars, M. & Seebregts, C., 2008. Country Case Study for e-Health: South Africa. e-Health Connections: Country Case Study Reports, pp. 1--46. Available at: http://ehealthconnection.org/files/resources/County Case Study for eHealth South Africa.pdf.Google Scholar
- Moore, S., 2007. "Dirty Data" is a Business Problem, Not an IT Problem, Says Gartner, Sydney, Austrailia.Google Scholar
- Mostert-Phipps, N., 2012. Health information technologies for improved continuity of care: a South African perspective (Doctoral Thesis).Google Scholar
- Musango, L., 2008. Social health insurance: how feasible is it in the African Region? Development ISSues, 10(November), pp. 7--9.Google Scholar
- Mphatswe, W., Mate, K.S., Bennett, B., Ngidi, H., Reddy, J., Barker, P.M. and Rollins, N., 2012. Improving public health information: a data quality intervention in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90(3), pp. 176--182.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Musango, L., 2008. Social health I nsurance: how feasible is it in the African Region? Development ISSues, 10(November), pp. 7--9.Google Scholar
- Nagykaldi, Z. et al., 2012. Impact of a Wellness Portal on the delivery of patient-centered preventive care. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: JABFM, 25(2), pp. 158--167Google ScholarCross Ref
- Nazi, K.M., 2013. The personal health record paradox: health care professionals perspectives and the information ecology of personal health record systems in organizational and clinical settings. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(4)Google ScholarCross Ref
- Nene, N., 2015. Find your file, sick man told. IOL News. Available at: http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/find-your-file-sick-man-told-1.1812123#.Vd8KGKguDIU {Accessed March 1, 2015}.Google Scholar
- Nkombua, L., 2008. The practice of medicine at a district hospital emergency room: Middelburg Hospital, Mpumalanga Province. South African Family Practice, 50(1), p.65.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Pottas, D. & Mostert-phipps, N., 2013. Citizens and Personal Health Records -- the Case of Nelson Mandela Bay., pp. 3--7.Google Scholar
- Ruxwana, N., Herselman, M. and Pottas, D., 2014. A generic quality assurance model (GQAM) for successful eHealth implementation in rural hospitals in South-Africa. Health Information Management Journal, 43(1), pp. 26--36.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Ruxwana, N.L., Herselman, M.E. & Conradie, D.P., 2010. ICT applications as e-health solutions in rural healthcare in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The HIM journal, 39(1), pp. 17--26.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sunyaev, A., 2010. Evaluation Framework for Personal Health Records: Microsoft HealthVault vs. Google Health., pp. 1--10. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Tang, P. et al., 2006. Personal Health Records: Definitions, Benefits, and Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Adoption. Journal of the American Medical Information Association, 13(2), pp. 121 --126.Google ScholarCross Ref
- World Health Organisation, 2006. Electronic health records: manual for developing countries.Google Scholar
- Kim, K. & Nahm, E., 2012. Benefits of and barriers to the use of personal health records ( PHR ) for health management among adults. Journnal of Nursing Informatics, 16(3). Available at: http://ojnni.org/issues/?p=1995Google Scholar
- Day, C. & Gray, A. 2015. Health and related indicators. In: Padarath A, King J, English R, (eds). South African Health Review 2014/15. Durban: Heath Systems Trust.Google Scholar
- Kaiser Permanente, 2007. Americans Prefer Electronic Health Records. Information Management Journal, 41(4), pp. 8--8Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Accessibility to Patients' Own Health Information: A Case in Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa
Recommendations
Challenges and opportunities in evolving TreC personal health record platform
PervasiveHealth '17: Proceedings of the 11th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for HealthcareElectronic Health Records (EHR) have been one of the factors in transforming healthcare and health management by providing electronic access to information recorded on paper charts. However, increasing interest of patients to be actively involved in the ...
Challenges When Engaging Diabetic Patients and Their Clinicians in Using E-Health Technologies to Improve Clinical Outcomes
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Aging and Assistive Environments - Volume 8515Diabetes mellitus DM is a chronic disease affecting more than 285 people worldwide and the fourth leading cause of death. Increasing evidence suggests that many DM patients have poor adherence with prescribed medication therapies, impacting clinical ...
Concept to gain trust for a German personal health record system using public cloud and FHIR
Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted
Highlights- Both, German patients and physicians support using a personal health record system.
Abstract ObjectiveAlthough a national Personal Health Record (PHR) infrastructure was supposed to have been introduced in Germany by law in 2006 and different providers are entering the market, no system has yet been widely adopted ...
Comments