Abstract
Background: - In Ethiopian medical care system, medical record unit is an entry to medical care services which is 100% run by non-medical health care workers. Therefore, looking at their knowledge and attitude towards ICT as a pre-requisite to electronic medical record system is mandatory. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted from November 15, 2017 to 30, and 2017 G. C. Descriptive statistics like frequency tables and percentages were used to present descriptive data. At bivariable analysis, the effect of each independent variable was tested at individual level holding other variables constant against the dependent variable. Finally, variables with p-value<0.2 were taken to multivariate analysis and existence of association was declared for variables with p-value<0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Result: A total of 261 study participants were involved in the study with a response rate of 91.3%. The mean age of the participants was 26 (SD=±6.8) and 111 (42.5%) of their age group was ≤25 years of old. Of all the study participants, 169 (64.8%) of them had adequate knowledge. However, only 141 (54%) of the study participants had favorable attitude towards ICT. At multivariate analysis only residence (AOR=2.56, 95% CI [1.28, 5.10]), workload (AOR=3.67, 95% CI [1.92, 7.00]) and basic computer training (AOR=14.5, 95% CI [6.82, 30.9]) were identified as factors affecting knowledge towards ICT while residence (AOR=7.04, 95% CI [3.5, 14.17]), experience (AOR=1.99, 95% CI [1.06, 3.72]), workload (AOR=2.84, 95% CI [1.5, 5.38]) and availability of a computer (AOR=9.16, 95% CI [4.17, 20.11]) were factors affecting attitude towards ICT. Conclusion and recommendations: The level of knowledge and attitude towards ICT among non-health care provider medical unit workers was very low as per expectations and compared to literatures reviewed in this research. Recruiting additional medical record unit workers, giving training, availing computer, creating a mechanism experience sharing and on job training were recommended to improve the problem.
Highlights
The use of ICT involves computational technology and internet use to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information [1]
Of all the study participants, 169 (64.8%) of them had adequate knowledge. This result is lower than the finding in Punjab, India [22] and three public hospitals in Ethiopia [23] but higher than the findings in in rural African health facilities [18], Nigeria [4]
In Ethiopian context, the nation is working on modernizing electronic medical records majority of non-health provider medical record unit workers were given basic ICT training for realizing SmartCare performance
Summary
The use of ICT involves computational technology and internet use to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information [1]. World health organization (WHO) pinpoints that the integration of computer and information science to health care can bring a number of desired health outcomes. It can enable health providers make better decisions, health facilities provide quality and safer care, make governments responsive to public health needs and policy makers and the public aware of health risks [2]. With the intensive advance of ICT over the past two decades in health care environment, many innovative approaches in the health sector are being created throughout the world such as electronic health record/electronic medical record (EMR/EHR), telemedicine and etc. With the intensive advance of ICT over the past two decades in health care environment, many innovative approaches in the health sector are being created throughout the world such as electronic health record/electronic medical record (EMR/EHR), telemedicine and etc. [3].
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