Abstract
Objective: To assess the knowledge, perception and use of Health Information Technology (HIT) among private dental practitioners in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Material and Methods: The sample population consisted of private dental practitioners in Chennai District of Tamil Nadu who were individually approached to participate in the cross-sectional survey. A structured, self-reported, close-ended questionnaire, which contained queries on the knowledge, usage and concerns about HIT in their practice, was designed. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and percentages were analyzed using SPSS version 24. Results: Of the 483 dental clinics that were approached, 352 dental practitioners completed the questionnaire survey. A significant proportion of dental practitioners (65 percent) reported positive attitude towards use of HIT systems and believed that HIT systems could help make their work easier and efficient. However, it is unfortunate to note that almost half (47 percent) the dental practitioners were not interested in implementing HIT systems in their practice due to various monetary concerns such as installation and maintenance costs. Conclusion: The widespread adoption of HIT provides system connectivity and information exchange among providers of the same organisation, providers at different organisations and, ultimately, providers practising regionally and nationally.
Highlights
Whilst there are constant changes in the field of science and technology, it is important to adapt to the changes through innovation to progress further
Material and Methods: The sample population consisted of private dental practitioners in Chennai District of Tamil Nadu who were individually approached to participate in the cross-sectional survey
It is unfortunate to note that almost half (47 percent) the dental practitioners were not interested in implementing Health Information Technology (HIT) systems in their practice due to various monetary concerns such as installation and maintenance costs
Summary
Whilst there are constant changes in the field of science and technology, it is important to adapt to the changes through innovation to progress further. The advent of Information Technology in health sector is yet another revolutionary change which has taken place. This has opened a new domain called Health information and technology [1]. There is a definite inequity of literacy rates observed between rural and urban areas in India. The advent of technology in the form of mobile phones have high penetration rates in rural as well as urban areas of the country [5]. HIT can become a crucial tool in enhancing health service delivery through the use of low-cost, easy-to-use technologies using mobile telephony and internet service, which may help to bridge some of the gaps in patient-provider interactions and increase awareness among the patient in India. HIT is used through electronic health records (HER); telemedicine; digital health knowledge resource; hospital information management system; e-learning technologies and health informatics [8]
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