The determinants of electronic health information systems (EHIS) adoption and usage from healthcare providers’ staff perspective: Case study of Kenyans health sector

Abstract

Quality healthcare is the extent to which health services provided to individuals and patient populations improve desired health outcomes. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) specifically Electronic Health information systems (EHIS) have made significant impact on healthcare industry in the globally. A well-functioning EHIS is an integrated effort to collect, process, report and use health information and knowledge to influence policy and decisionmaking, programme action, individual and public health outcomes, and research. Its adoption and use, has transformed the way healthcare services are delivered and has impacted significantly health care procedures, work practices, treatment outcomes and cost reduction. However EHIS’s full potential has not been realized, because there are many challenges affecting adoption of ICT solutions in developing countries. These failures of EHIS adoption can be linked to other factors such as social cultural, psychological and organizational besides technical factors (Mwai, 2011). In this study, reviewed user acceptance literature and discussed application of prominent theories and models in studying ICT adoption and use behaviors, empirically compared them in adoption and use and formulated a framework that integrates elements across the theories and models suitable for adoption and use of EHIS in the health industry. In the initial stages of data collection I used qualitative and open-ended research approaches to expand and enrich the conceptual framework. Four healthcare providers I clustered into three categories: Rural setup, urban setup and city setup that participated in this research. Using subjective sampling I selected informants who mainly end-users are using the system on a day to day basis.The analysis was conducted using SPSS where descriptive statistics were also generated including frequency. Inferential statistics were also generated including regression coefficient, and eventually and framework for adoption and use of EHIS from the staff perspectivewas generated. The findings of the study indicate the fact that five determinants: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Enjoyment, Security of Records and Awareness in combination with other determinants influence adoption and use of EHIS.