Level of Knowledge regarding the Use of Hospital Information Systems among Healthcare Personnel in Hospital Practices

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of this paper is to compare the level of knowledge of hospital information systems and the extent of utilization of this knowledge by staff employed in the gynecological department of a public healthcare hospital and those in a private gynecological hospital. Materials and Methods: Data was collected from the software packages being used in two healthcare institutions. These packages are easy to use and capable of processing large volumes of information. A prospective study design was applied using an anonymous questionnaire, and the study period extended from 05/01/2013 to 01/06/2013. Results: Based on the study results, it was concluded that despite implementation of specific hospital information systems in both institutions, there were flaws in the daily work. In the PHI Clinical hospital there was no access to computers in a majority of the workplaces and use of the internet in the daily work of the healthcare personnel was almost absent. Moreover, communication between departments, exchange of certain data between the healthcare staff, connectivity between institutions and data usage were all seen to be functioning inefficiently. There was better access to information and network connectivity among the departments at Plodnost, Bitola, which is a PHI. Hospital specializing in gynecology and obstetrics and is also an in vitro fertilization (IVF) center for assisted human reproduction. This could be due to the younger age structure of the healthcare personnel and because they are generally exposed to wider opportunities for education and the nurses. Conclusion: The healthcare system and information technology are closely related, and in future, proper functioning of the medical staff will not be possible without continuous use of healthcare information systems.