Abstract:

Information and communication technology (ICT) is transforming healthcare delivery at a fast rate. Nurses who form most of the health workforce are strategically positioned to champion the transition to digital health care. Ghana is fast adopting eHealth. However, there is little evidence on how well nurses are using these technologies. A descriptive cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach was conducted to examine the availability, utilization, and support systems of eHealth resources in the nursing profession. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. Data collated from 206 registered nurses in Cape Coast revealed that respondents were predominantly female (61.7%), and 38.3% were males. The result suggests that good resources for eHealth service delivery were available with association wards and resources availability (χ²=19.691, P= .012). Comparatively, the A&E ward had the most resources compared to the medical ward (p=.018), OPD (p=.012), Surgical ward (p=.013), Theatre (p=.003), Children ward (p=.000), Obs/Gynae ward (p=.002), ICU (p=.042) and NICU (p=.011). Also, most nurses have received adequate training, technical support, and internet connectivity towards eHealth resources usage. The study further revealed that most facilities did not have access to eLibraries. Monitoring and evaluation were either erratic or non-existent. Though the study results showed some promise in the digitization of healthcare in Ghana, there is more to be done to bridge the gap between the health needs of the population and the technologies required to meet them.

References:

[1] Canadian Nurses Association. 2006a, E-Nursing Strategy for Canada. Position statement. Ottawa.

[2] Remlex D., 2007, Information and Communication Technology in Chronic Disease care. Medical Care Research and Review, 64(2), 123-147.

[3] O’Carroll, P. W., Yasnoff, W. A., Ward, M. E., Ripp, L. H., & Martin, E. L., 2007, Public Health Informatics and Information Systems. Springer.

[4] Acheampong, E. K., 2012, The State of Information and Communication Technology and Health Informatics in Ghana. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 4(2), 21-25. ojphi.v4i2.4191. doi: 10.5210/ojphi.v4i2.4191.

[5] The Royal College of Nursing., 2022, Clinical-topics/eHealth. London: e Royal College of Nursing, 20 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0RN ©. Retrieved from www.rcn.org.uk

[6] World Health Organization., 2019a, Delivered by women, led by men: A gender and equity analysis of the global health and social workforce. Human Resources for Health Observer - Issue No. 24. WHO, Geneva. Available at: https://www.who.int/hrh/resources/health-observer24/en/ (accessed 19 November 2020).

[7] World Health Organization, 2020, State of the World’s Nursing 2020: Investing in Education, Jobs, and Leadership. WHO, Geneva. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003279 (accessed 19 November 2020)

[8] Öberg, U., Orre, C. J., Isaksson, U., Schimmer, R., Larsson, H., & Hörnsten, Å., 2017, Swedish primary healthcare nurses’ perceptions of using digital eHealth services in support of patient self-management. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 32(2), 961–970. doi:10.1111/scs.12534.

[9] Onu, F. U., & Agbo, I. S., 2013, Factors That Affect the Use of Ict in Nursing Profession in Ebonyi State Nigeria. Journal of Information Engineering and Applications, 3(11), 63–70.

[10] Topaz, M., Ronquillo, C., Peltonen, L., Pruinelli, L., Sarmiento, R. F., Badger, M. K., Ali, S., Lewis, A., Georgsson, M., Jeon, E., Tayaben, J. L., Kuo, C., Islam, T., Sommer, J., Jung, H., Eler, G. J., Alhuwail, D., & Lee, Y., 2016, Nurse Informaticians Report Low Satisfaction and Multi-level Concerns with Electronic Health Records: Results from an International Survey. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2016; 2016: 2016–2025. Published online 2017 Feb 10.

[11] While, A., & Dewsbury, G., 2011, Nursing and information and communication technology (ICT): A discussion of trends and future directions, International Journal of Nursing Studies. 48(10), 1302-1310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.02.020.

[12] Azza, E. M., 2015, Adoption and Barriers to Adoption of Electronic Health Records by Nurses in Three Governmental Hospitals in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Perspectives in Health Information Management. 12, 1f. 1-16. PMCID: PMC4632875.

[13] Asamoah-Odei, E., Kebede, D., Zielinski, C., Soumbey-Alley, E.-W., Peixoto, M., & Moeti, M., 2012, Leveraging eHealth to Improve National Health Systems in the Africa Region. African Health Monitor, (14), 46-52.

[14] World Health Organization., 2013, eHealth Strategy factsheet.

[15] Sarfo, J. O., & Asiedu, M., 2013, EHealth Efficacy in Ghanaian Nursing : A pilot Thematic Analysis on Benefits and Challenges. European Scientific Journal, 9(23), 209–221.

[16] Ministry of Health., 2005, Ministry of Health Policy.

[17] Government of Ghana., 2003, Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development Policy.

[18] Ministry of Health, 2005, Ministry of Health ICT Policy.

[19] Ministry of Health., 2010, Ghana E-health Strategy.

[20] Adjorlolo, S., & Ellingsen, G., 2013, Readiness assessment for implementation of the electronic patient. Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries, 64(2). 128-140.

[21] Hegney, D., Eley, R., Buikstra, E., Fallon, T., Soar, J., & Gilmore, V., 2006, Australian nurses access and attitudes to information technology: A national survey. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 122: 688–692. PMID:17102351

[22] Top, M., & Gider, O., 2013, Nurses ‘ Views on Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in Turkey: An Analysis According to Use, Quality and User Satisfaction, Journal of Medical Systems. 36(3) 55-62. DOI:10.1007/s10916-011-9657-6

[23] Chike-Harris, K. E., Durham, C., Logan, A., Smith, G., & DuBose-Morris, R., 2020, Integration of telehealth education into the health care provider curriculum: a review [published online ahead of print April 3, 2020]. Telemed J E Health. 10.1089/tmj.2019.0261.

[24] Koivunen, M., & Saranto, K., 2017, Nursing professionals’ experiences of the facilitators and barriers to the use of telehealth applications: a systematic review of qualitative studies. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 32(1), 24–44. doi:10.1111/scs.12445.

[25] Duplaga, M., 2016, Searching for a Role of Nursing Personnel in Developing Landscape of Ehealth: Factors Determining Attitudes toward Key Patient Empowering Applications. Plos One, 11(4), e0153173. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153173

[26] While, A., & Dewsbury, G., 2011, Nursing and information and communication technology (ICT): A discussion of trends and future directions, International Journal of Nursing Studies. 48(10), 1302-1310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.02.020.

[27] Afarikumah, E., 2014, Electronic Health in Ghana: Current Status and Future. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics,5(3) 230-238. https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i3.4943.

[28] Yamane, T., 1967, Statistics: An Introductory Analysis (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row.

[29] Chitungo, I., Mhango, M., Mbunge, E., Dzobo, M., Musuka, G., & Dzinamarira, T., 2021, Utility of telemedicine in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rapid review. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(5), 843– 853. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.297.

[30] Furusa, S. S., & Coleman, A., 2018, Factors influencing e-health implementation by medical doctors in public hospitals in Zimbabwe. SA Journal of Information Management, 20(1). doi:10.4102/sajim.v20i1.928.

[31] Car, J., Black, A., Anandan, C., Cresswell, K., Pagliari, C., Bokun, T., McKinstry, B., Procter, R., Majeed, A., & Sheikh, A., 2008, The Impact of eHealth on the Quality & Safety of Healthcare. Public Library of Science Medicine 8(1),71-87. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pmed.1000387.

[32] Darbyshire, P., 2004, “Rage against the machine?”: nurses ‘and midwives ‘ experiences of using Computerized Patient Information Systems for clinical information. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 17–25. Doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01180.x.

[33] Peters, D. H., Kohli, M., Mascarenhas, M., & Rao, K., 2006, Can computers improve patient care by primary health care workers in India? International Journal of Quality Health Care, 18(6), 437–445. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzl053.

[34] Asah, F., 2013, Computer usage among nurses in rural health-care facilities in South Africa: Obstacles and challenges. Journal of Nursing Management, 21(3), 499–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01315.

[35] United States Agency for International Development., 2016, Trends in Digital Health in Africa. Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/global-health/global-health-newsletter/digital-health.

[36] Khan, S. Z., Shahid, Z., Hedstrom, K., & Anderson, A., 2012, Hopes and fears in implementation of electronic health records in Bangladesh. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 54(8), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2012.tb00387.x.

[37] Ridgway, L., Mitchell, C., & Sheean, F., 2011, Information and communication technology (ICT) use in child and family nursing: What do we know and where to now? Contemporary Nurse, 40(1), 118-129. https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.2011.40.1.118.

[38] Dee, C., & Stanley, E. E., 2005, Information-seeking behavior of nursing students and clinical nurses: implications for health sciences librarians. Journal of Medical Library Association, 93(1), 213–222. PMC1082938.

[39] Mugo, D. M., 2014, Determinants of Electronic Health in Developing Countries. International Journal of Arts and Commerce, 3(3), 49–60.

[40] Dowding, D., 2013, Are nurses expected to have information technology skills? Nursing Management, 20(5), 31–37. DOI: 10.7748/nm2013.09.20.5.31. e1112.

[41] Gulzar, S., Khoja, S., & Sajwani, A., 2013, Experience of nurses with using eHealth in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: a qualitative study in primary and secondary healthcare. BioMed Central Nursing. 12(6) 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6955-12-6.

[42] [42] Khanum, S., Souza, M., Naz, N., Sasso, G., Brüggemann, O., & Heideman, I., 2016, The Use of Networking in Nursing Practice —An Integrative Review. Societies, 6(3), 22-35. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc60300.