IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS ON QUALITY HEALTH CARE SERVICE DELIVERY AT UNIVERSITY OF OSUN STATE TEACHING HOSPITAL, OSOGBO

This project work was carried out on the impact of electronic health records on quality health care service delivery at University of Osun State Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. The objectives of the study were to find out the level of use of Electronic Health Records application towards quality healthcare service delivery; to identify the challenges encountered in implementation of Electronic Health Records; to find out the impacts of Electronic Health Records on quality healthcare service delivery and to examine the strategies adopted in the management of electronic health records system at University of Osun State Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. Relevant literatures were revealed on information regarding topic of study. It was revealed in this study that Electronic Health Record (EHR) is comprised of many components that work together to capture, create, share, maintain and store an accurate and complete patient health record. There are various systems, applications, standards and specifications that must be in place in order to meet the goal of true interoperability. It was also deduced that Health information technology (HIT) and the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has increased substantially through efforts to achieve the following: reduce medical errors, provide more effective methods of communicating and sharing information among clinicians, better manage patient medical records, and improve coordination of care and health care quality. The population for this study covers health information management staff at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo with a population of 100 who have worked in the health record departments of Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo for the minimum period of 5 years. Total enumeration sampling technique was use to cover all the selected 100 health information management practitioners for this study due to the manageable size of the population. Data were analyzed using simple percentage. It is concluded from this study that while the deployment of EHRs at the University of Osun State Teaching Hospital has the potential to significantly enhance healthcare service delivery, it is imperative to address the existing infrastructural, educational, and organizational barriers. It is therefore recommended that regularly training of healthcare personnel on EHR usage, updates, and best practices to maximize system efficiency should be adopted.