Influence of integrated healthcare information systems on healthcare service delivery tenets at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Background: Health Information Systems (HIS) is one of the pillars of a functional health system. However, efforts to expand HIS and Digital health technology in sub-Saharan Africa are hindered by many factors including weak health information system governance and inadequate infrastructure. The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of integrated healthcare information systems on healthcare service delivery tenets in Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya.

Methodology: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design. Stratified and simple random sampling were used in this study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. SPSS version 29 was used for quantitative data analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were done including chi-square were done. Statistical significance was set at P ≤0.05.

Results: There were 210 respondents with the majority (56.2%, n=118) of being female. Nurses (30.5%, n=64) constituted the highest number of respondents in the study, followed by health information officers (25.7%, n=54). A bigger proportion (61.4%, n=129) of respondents had a diploma level of education, followed by those with a bachelor's degree (30.5%, n=64) with a majority of study participants (60.5%, n=127) having less than 8 years of work experience. Mobile health technology (χ²⁽²⁾=27.347,p=0.001), telehealthcare technology (χ²⁽²⁾=12.944,p=0.000), telemedicine technology (χ²⁽²⁾=7.105,p=0.029), and cloud computing technology (χ²⁽²⁾=16.219,p=0.000) were significantly associated with service delivery satisfaction. Electronic medical health records (EMHR) system use(χ²⁽²⁾=16.222,p=0.001), Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems (χ^{2 (2)}=20.137,p=0.000), Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) (χ^{2 (2)}=44.504,p=0.000), and Patient Administration Records Systems (PARS) (χ^{2 (2)}=29.745,p=0.000) had a significant association with service delivery satisfaction .

Conclusion: In conclusion the integration of Clinical Decision Support Systems, mobile health technology, efficient patient administration record systems, and telehealthcare technologies significantly enhanced healthcare service delivery. These findings underscore the importance of adopting digital medical technologies as well as healthcare information systems in hospital settings.