Ict in Health Service Delivery of Selected Referral Hospitals in Rwanda

ABSTRACT This paper provides a snapshot on IC in Health services delivery of selected referral Hospitals in Rwanda. It focuses on the current state of ICT and its application in delivery of health services, its role and the problems faced in acquisition and use of ICT in delivery of Health Services of selected referral Hospitals in Rwanda. It draws out good practices in using ICT5 in Health sector. An expost facto research design was employed and it enabled the researcher to optimally and fully address the topic in question. The design helped to give an indepth description quantitatively on the current state of ICT and its application in delivery of Health services, its role and problems faced in the acquisition and the use of ICT in delivery of Health services of selected referral Hospitals in Rwanda. It involved statistical description of the coded and distributed data, statistical tools such as tallies, frequencies and percentage that were used to test different variables to the research questions. Simple tables and graphs were used to present the research findings. The findings reveal that majority of ICT facilities found in the institutions studied plus other related items were acquired and maintained or their day to day operations mainly through funding. This has led to the problem of lack of sustainability of ICT projects once donors withdraw their funding due to lack of funds from local source. As a result, the lifespan of some of the projects have ended up not living beyond the time of expiry of donor funding. The finding of this study reveals that apart from the fact that the majority of the population that have no access to ICT facilities and are un able to use it, there is very limited involvement of user and professionals trained in the use of ICT for health information access and dissemination in the process of planning, budgeting acquisitions and use of ICT. The study also pointed out that majority of ICT facilities found in institutions studied plus other related items were acquired and maintained or their day to day operations are mainly through the funding, it however notes that a number of problems facing the acquisition and use of ICT in health service delivery need to be urgently addressed if the full benefits of ICT in health service delivery are to be realized. The study recommended the government to devise means of tapping of Global knowledge and local knowledge as crucial component of a successful strategy for all countries even the more technologically advanced nations. It further recommended the Government of Rwanda to reduce on the dependence of donor driven ICT initiatives such as what is currently being experienced with a number of ICT projects of health sectors in Rwanda.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter

One PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE 1

Backg round of the study 1

Statement of the problem 3

The purpose of this study 6

General objective 6

Specific objectives 6

Research question 6

Significance of the study 7

Scope of the study 8

Operational definition of the terms 9

Two REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 10

Overview 10

The conceptual frame work 13

General application of ICT in health sector 19

Application of ICT in Rwanda referral Hospitals 22

Open medical record system 22

Telemedicine 23

E-learning 27

TRAC net 29

Mobile e- health 30

The role of ICT in Health services delivery 31

Information and service delivery 32

Improving functioning of health care systems 33

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Management information system 35

Access and dissemination of Health Information 38

Information via internet and other ICT media 39

Components of Hospital Information System 41

Clinical information system 41

Financial information system 42

Laboratory information system 42

Nursing information system 42

Pharmacy information system 43

Radiology information system 43

Types of information system 43

Referral hospitals in Rwanda 44

Benefits of Hospital information system 45

Data Resource Management 47

Problems faced in the acquisition and use of ICT in delivery of

Health services 48

Connectivity 49

Content 50

Capacity 51

Community 52

Commerce 52

Culture 52

Cooperation 53

Capital 54