Impact of Electronic Health Record System (EHRs) on Healthcare Quality at Asamankese Government Hospital, Ghana. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The main objective of this study was to explore the impact of EHRs on healthcare quality at the Asamankese Government Hospital. The research used three objectives thus, explore the use, behavioral intent and the impact of EHRs on healthcare quality among clients and staffs of the facility. This is qualitative research with a case study design with data gathered through interviews from five clients and eight staffs. The study proved all departments of the Hospital were fully using EHRs with all respondents willing to continue its use. The key findings of the study were, firstly, improved storage and quality of medical records and easy retrieval of records by healthcare practitioners. EHRs reduces administrative and operational cost. Thirdly, EHRs improves client safety, staff productivity and efficiency healthcare delivery. Furthermore, it reduces clients’ waiting time, waste of resources and helping track expiry dates of medications and improves health outcomes. Finally, EHRs improves triaging and responsive care and the personal healthcare of clients thereby improving clients’ satisfaction on services rendered at the facility. The EHRs however faced challenges such us unstable internet network, electricity instability, inadequate training of staffs, etc. The study concludes EHRs has improved healthcare quality at the Asamankese Government Hospital. OBJECTIVE The main objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of EHRs on quality healthcare at Asamankese Government hospital with the ultimate goal of measuring the quality of care using the Hospital's method, structure and outcome of EHRs. Specific Research Objectives 1. To study the use of EHR at the Asamankese Government Hospital 2. To underscore the behavioural intent on the use of EHR among staffs and clients of the Hospital 3. To evaluate the impact of EHR on quality of care among the hospital staffs and patients in Asamankese Government Hospital. METHODS This is primary research using qualitative research method and case study design. Qualitative research methods include action research, case study, ethnography, grounded research, etc. (Myers, 2009:8). Case study design involves an attempt to describe relationships which exist in reality and generate deep understanding of complex issues (Igwenagu 2016:6, Pawar 2020:48). Data will be mainly collected through observation, interviews. This would aid researcher to generate adequate data to test the hypothesis that, EMRs has an impact on quality of care at the Asamankese Government Hospital. RESULTS The analysis from the response of the staffs proved that, all departments of the hospital including records, laboratory, pharmacy, etc., were using EHRs to keep data of clients and that all the department were fully electronic. The respondents enumerated many roles EHRs has had on quality improvement in services at the hospital. The study found that, EHRs has improved the quality of medical records keeping as every data of clients are kept on the EHRs software. This means medical records staffs do not have to comb through thousands of folders in search of the folder of clients. This also brings a stop to records staff reregistering clients when their folder or folder number is missing since even without the client’s hospital identity number, clients’ phone number or name or other demographic data can be used to search for their hospital identity number so their records can be retrieved. CONCLUSIONS Healthcare quality is a major important factor in the health sector with current stakeholders finding ways of improving the quality of healthcare delivery. One of the main headache healthcare stakeholders have had in the past that posed a major concern to quality is the management of client’s records and data at various healthcare facility. The adoption and use of the electronic means of managing healthcare data has evolved over the years to solve this perennial headache and become the main source of data management in many health facilities across the world. As a result, a lot of studies have been done concerning the use, implementation and full adoption of Electronic Health Records System (EHRs) in the healthcare industry but little was known concerning the impact it has had on improving the quality of care at the various health facilities using it especially in Ghana. This study was therefore conducted at the Asamankese Government Hospital with the main objective of evaluating the impact of EHRs on quality healthcare at the facility. The study yielded a positive result proving to a larger extent that EHRs has helped improve quality care delivery at the Asamankese Government Hospital by exposing many positive impacts the EHRs has had on quality improvement.