The perceived role of digitisation of electronic health records in South African hospitals
Date
2023
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Abstract
In South Africa, patients experience stark differences in the health care provided by private and public hospitals (Ward et al., 2017). Patients in public hospitals often feel neglected and unsafe, while private hospital patients are more satisfied with the patientcenteredness of their received care (Miller, 2019). Primary factors that lead to these significant differences in healthcare experiences are the waiting periods in both hospital settings (Sastry et al., 2015). Lengthy waiting times in public hospitals cause difficulties for patients and healthcare workers alike (Sastry et al., 2015).
The long waiting times endured before receiving care are considered the leading cause of skipped appointments, low healthcare worker morale, and poor medication compliance, all leading to poorer healthcare outcomes (Sastry et al., 2015). Differences in waiting times between the private and public domains of health care exist globally. With the introduction and improvement of computerised systems, digitisation of medical records and all clinical data in healthcare systems has become standard practice worldwide (Dash et al., 2019). Additionally, healthcare organisations are sources of big data, which includes records of patient information, results of medical examinations, and medical records information (Catalyst, 2018). Should this data not be managed appropriately, it fails to provide any value to the organisation in question (Dash et al., 2019).
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Digital Business to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020
Keywords
Electronic health record systems, Public sector, South Africa