- Title
- A framework of the situational precursors for electronic medical records adoption in private medical practices in South Africa: the case of private medical practices in Qonce
- Creator
- Gungqisa, Asiphe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5333-3058
- Subject
- Medical records -- Data processing -- South Africa
- Subject
- Medical technology -- South Africa
- Subject
- Health care reform -- South Africa
- Date
- 2022-07
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10353/28750
- Identifier
- vital:74909
- Description
- The status of the South African healthcare sector appears in perpetual disarray and lacks significant migration to technological adoption. The impetus to migrate to electronic medical records (EMRs) has become a necessity to prepare for the intended delivery of universal healthcare solutions to the South African population via private medical practices. But situational precursors need to be identified and considered when adopting an EMR solution at a private medical practice. This means that healthcare providers must have a thorough understanding and awareness of the various factors that influence the successful adoption of EMRs. There is limited research on the effects of EMR adoption in resourcerestricted regions in developing countries. To this end, the aim of this study was to explore the organisational, technological and environmental factors influencing the adoption of EMRs at private medical practices in a resource-restricted area of South Africa. The area identified for the study was Qonce in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Methods: The interpretivist perspective guided the study and included the qualitative data gathered from semistructured interviews with carefully chosen medical and administrative personnel. Seven virtual interviews were conducted with nurses and administrative clerks. The thematic analysis method was used to prompt codes and themes within the dataset, and then conclusions were drawn. Findings: The consequence of the findings resulted in the development of an artefact in the form of a proposed framework of situational precursors for EMR adoption in private medical practices derived from the integration of themes and recommendations of this study. The proposed framework may be considered in the decision to adopt EMRs and could be utilised as one of the key drivers in promoting technology adoption in resource-restricted regions. The framework is divided into seven situational precursors, which include patient records management, information sharing, change management, ICT infrastructure support, privacy and security needs, policy and regulatory considerations, and economic implications. Each situational precursor in the framework includes some topical areas of consideration, which can be expanded on dependent on the dynamics of the given private medical practice. Conclusion/implications: Arguably, the benefits of EMRs supersede those of paper-based records systems. Migration to EMRs could therefore be favourable to both the practice and its patients. By taking into consideration the organisational, technological and environmental factors that influence EMR adoption, healthcare providers could reap benefits, such as increased productivity, less waiting times, elimination of paper files, reduced costs, and improved clinical decision-making. Failure to consider these factors could lead to financial losses, threats to the confidentiality of information and lack of acceptance by the community.
- Description
- Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2022
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (ix, 184 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- University of Fort Hare
- Publisher
- Faculty of Management and Commerce
- Language
- English
- Rights
- rights holder
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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Collections
UFH Department of Information Systems
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Gungqisa_201212304_Information Systems.pdf | 5 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |