Knowledge and attitudes of doctors towards e-health use in healthcare delivery in government and private hospitals in Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC medical informatics and decision making
Abstract
E-health is an essential information sharing tool in healthcare management and delivery worldwide.
However, utilization of e-health may only be possible if healthcare professionals have positive attitudes towards
e-health. This study aimed to determine the relationships between healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards e-health,
level of ICT skills and e-Health use in healthcare delivery in government and private hospitals in northern Uganda.
Methods: Cross-sectional survey design was used. Sixty-eight medical doctors in three government hospitals and four
private hospitals in Northern Uganda participated in the study. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to
collect the required data. Data was analysed using SPSS software Version 19.
Results: Out of the 68 respondents, 39 (57.4 %) reported access to computer and 29 (48.5 %) accessed Internet in the
workplace. Majority of healthcare professionals had positive attitudes towards e-health attributes (mean 3.5). The level
of skills was moderate (mean 3.66), and was the most important and significant predictor of ICT use among healthcare
professionals (r = .522, p < .001); however, attitudes towards e-health attributes did not contribute significantly in
predicting e-health use.
Conclusions: The findings suggest need for hospitals managements to strengthen e-health services in healthcare
delivery in Northern Uganda.
Description
Keywords
E-health, Attitude towards e-health, ICT skills, E-health use, Hospitals in northern Uganda, E-health attributes
Citation
Olok, G. T., Yagos, W. O., & Ovuga, E. (2015). Knowledge and attitudes of doctors towards e-health use in healthcare delivery in government and private hospitals in Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 15(1), 1-10. DOI 10.1186/s12911-015-0209-8