Designing a Health Information System Adoption Roadmap for Quality Healthcare in Namibia

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Date

2019-07

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Namibia University of Science and Technology

Abstract

The Ministry of Health and Social Service (MoHSS), as part of the government of The Republic of Namibia and with the help of Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs), has implemented Health Information Systems (HIS) within its different directorates to maximise the quality of care. Healthcare Information Systems offer benefits such as improving service delivery, providing real-time information, reducing organisation and personnel costs, and improving the quality of patient care. However, these benefits may not be seen in organisations where systems implementation and the adoption of policies and procedures are not adequately custom-made for systems users. Currently, the MoHSS has over 60 systems within its different directorates, with some functional and some not. Furthermore, there is no roadmap to guide the Ministry in the planning and adopting of HIS and the integration of existing systems donated by NGOs. Hence, to ensure maximised potential of the HIS, the MoHSS should have a clearly documented and ready-for-implementation roadmap that can serve as a strategic guide to the implementation of HIS. This research provides a roadmap which will guide HIS adoption to enhance quality healthcare in Namibia. Based on the research objectives, a qualitative method approach was selected. A case study strategy was adopted for the Ministry of Health and Social Services. Interviews, documents, and questionnaires were used to collect data about the case studies. Activity Theory (AT) was applied during data analysis. AT provided a deeper understanding about employees and technologies that could affect the development of a roadmap. The findings showed that governance, stakeholder involvement, HIS strategic plans, HIS experts and IS infrastructures are factors to take into consideration in the adoption of HIS by the Ministry. A roadmap for the implementation of HIS was developed based on the interpretation of the data. The roadmap provides a guide for the planning, selection, implementation, and adoption of HIS to produce quality healthcare services in Namibia.

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Keywords

Health Information Systems, Health Information Technology, Roadmap, Healthcare

Citation

Mutelo, S. C. (2019). Designing a Health Information System Adoption Roadmap for Quality Healthcare in Namibia. (Unpublished masters thesis). Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek.