- Title
- Health information technologies for improved continuity of care: a South African perspective
- Creator
- Mostert-Phipps, Nicolette
- Subject
- Medical records -- Data processing
- Subject
- Medical technology -- South Africa
- Subject
- Medical innovations -- South Africa
- Subject
- Health -- Information services
- Date Issued
- 2011
- Date
- 2011
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- DPhil
- Identifier
- vital:9730
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1619
- Identifier
- Medical records -- Data processing
- Identifier
- Medical technology -- South Africa
- Identifier
- Medical innovations -- South Africa
- Identifier
- Health -- Information services
- Description
- The fragmented nature of modern health care provision makes it increasingly difficult to achieve continuity of care. This is equally true in the context of the South African healthcare landscape. This results in a strong emphasis on the informational dimension of continuity of care which highlights the importance of the continuity of medical records. Paper-based methods of record keeping are inadequate to support informational continuity of care which leads to an increased interest in electronic methods of record keeping through the adoption of various Health Information Technologies (HITs). This research project investigates the role that various HITs such as Personal Health Records (PHRs), Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) can play in improving informational continuity of care resulting in the development of a standards-based technological model for the South African healthcare sector. This technological model employs appropriate HITs to address the problem of informational continuity of care in the South African healthcare landscape The benefits that are possible through the adoption of the proposed technological model can only be realized if the proposed HITs are used in a meaningful manner once adopted and implemented. The Delphi method is employed to identify factors that need to be addressed to encourage the adoption and meaningful use of such HITs in the South African healthcare landscape. Lastly, guidelines are formulated to encourage the adoption and meaningful use of HITs in the South African healthcare landscape to improve the continuity of care. The guidelines address both the technological requirements on a high level, as well as the factors that need to be addressed to encourage the adoption and meaningful use of the technological components suggested. These guidelines will play a significant role in raising awareness of the factors that need to be addressed to create an environment conducive to the adoption and meaningful use of appropriate HITs in order to improve the continuity of care in the South African healthcare landscape.
- Format
- xv, 163 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
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NMMU School of Information and Communication Technology
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