Developing an e-health framework through electronic healthcare readiness assessment
- Authors: Coleman, Alfred
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Health -- Computer network resources , Medical care -- South Africa -- Computer network resources , Public health -- South Africa -- Computer network resources , Internet in medicine -- South Africa , Medical informatics -- South Africa , Telecommunication in medicine -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:9729 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1519 , Health -- Computer network resources , Medical care -- South Africa -- Computer network resources , Public health -- South Africa -- Computer network resources , Internet in medicine -- South Africa , Medical informatics -- South Africa , Telecommunication in medicine -- South Africa
- Description: The major socio-economic development challenges facing most African countries include economic diversification, poverty, unemployment, diseases and the unsustainable use of natural resources. The challenge of quality healthcare provisioning is compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub Saharan Africa. However, there is a great potential in using electronic healthcare (e-health) as one of the supportive systems within the healthcare sector to address these pressing challenges facing healthcare systems in developing countries, including solving inequalities in healthcare delivery between rural and urban hospitals/clinics. The purpose of this study was to compile a Provincial E-health Framework (PEHF) based on the feedback from electronic healthcare readiness assessments conducted in selected rural and urban hospitals/clinics in the North West Province in South Africa. The e-healthcare readiness assessment was conducted in the light of effective use of ICT in patient healthcare record system, consultation among healthcare professionals, prescription of medication, referral of patients and training of healthcare professionals in ICT usage. The study was divided into two phases which were phases 1 and 2 and a qualitative design supported by a case study approach was used. Data were collected using different techniques to enhance triangulation of data. The techniques included group interviews, qualitative questionnaires, photographs, document analysis and expert opinions. The outcome of the assessment led to the compilation of the PEHF which was based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). SOA was chosen to integrate the hospitals/clinics‟ ICT infrastructure yet allowing each hospital/clinic the autonomy to control its own ICT environment. To assist hospitals/clinics integrate their ICT resources, this research study proposed an Infrastructure Network Architecture which clustered hospitals/clinics to share common ICT infrastructure instead of duplicating these resources. Furthermore, processes of the e-health services (e-patient health IV record system, e-consultation system, e-prescription system, e-referral system and e-training system) were provided to assist in the implementation of the PEHF. Finally, a set of guidelines were provided by the research study to aid the implementation of the PEHF.
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- Date Issued: 2010
The adoption of quality assurance in e-Health acquisition for rural hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Ruxwana, Nkqubela
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Quality assurance -- Management , Hospital care -- Quality control , Health facilities -- Quality control , Health -- Computer network resources , Public health -- Information services
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9731 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1514 , Quality assurance -- Management , Hospital care -- Quality control , Health facilities -- Quality control , Health -- Computer network resources , Public health -- Information services
- Description: The evolution of e-health has the potential to assist in the management of scarce resources and the shortage of skills, enhance efficiencies, improve quality and increase work productivity within the healthcare sector. As a result, an increase is seen in e-health solutions developments with the aim to improve healthcare services, hospital information systems, health decision support, telemedicine and other technical systems that have the potential to reduce cost, improve quality, and enhance the accessibility and delivery of healthcare. However, unfortunately their implementation contiues to fail. Although there are several reasons for this, in this study a lack of project quality management is viewed as a key contributor to the failure of e-health solutions implementation projects in rural hospitals. This results in neglected aspects of quality assurance (QA), which forms an integral part of project quality management. The purpose of this study is to develop a Genertic Quality Assurance Model (GQAM) for the successful acquisition (i.e. development and implementation) of e-health solutions in rural hospitals in the Eastern Cape Province to enable improved quality of care and service delivery. In order to develop and test this model it was necessary to identify the QA methodologies that are currently used in rural hospitals and to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their impact on project success. The study is divided into four phases; in each phase different study designs were followed. The study used triangulation of qualitative and some elements of quantitative research approaches, in terms of which a case study approach was adpoted to answer the research questions. This study did indeed develop a GQAM that can be used to ensure e-health solution success in rural hospitals. Furthermore, to aid in the implementation of this model, a set of QA value chain implementation guidelines were developed, as a framework, to inject the nodel into typical (SDLC) phases.
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- Date Issued: 2010