277782
Staff perceptions of medical records: A look inside a nepali hospital
Halley Brunsteter,
Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
This study sought to better understand the health care providers' perspective of an effective medical recording system (MRS) in the Dhulikhel Hospital. BACKGROUND The 300 bed university hospital, located in Dhulikhel, Nepal, serves the Kavre district with a population of 1.6 million people. The hospital has 19 departments, 5 operating theaters, and 737 employees including 131 physicians and 148 nurses/paramedics. METHODS This is a mixed-method study that includes direct observation of MRS usage, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and a broadly circulated survey of hospital staff members. RESULTS Forty-five percent of staff reported using a paper based system and fifty percent reported using both paper and computer based. Ninety-two percent of staff responded that the benefits of a computerized system outweighed the difficulties associated with its implementation. Ninety-five percent of the staff requested more training in the computerized MRS. It was reported that the local area network's power supply lacks proper electrical support and there is limited computer access. CONCLUSION Despite the presence of a computerized MRS, it is not being utilized to its full capacity. There is limited uniformity in the current MRS despite staff members wanting one universal system. Engaging the targeted consumers through every stage of the MRS's development should aid in creating a more effective system.
Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Learning Objectives:
Identify the hospital staff's perceptions about “perceived usefulness” and “perceived ease of use” of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system by asking open-ended and multiple-choice questions
Describe the EMR usage by first directly observing that usage in the hospital
Formulate what types of Medical Recording Systems would be most appropriate for the hospital by holding focus groups of intended-user participants
Keyword(s): Health Information Systems, Health Information
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a graduate student in Global Health. As research assistant and intern, I researched the implementation of medical recording systems in the United States and in Nepal. Among my research interests is the involvement of intended consumers of new technology and community based participatory research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
