An assessment of the effects of behavioural factors (competence, confidence, and motivation) and technical abilities of health professionals on the performance of health information systems: A case study in Kenya.

Authors

  • Angela C Rotich
  • Kanida Narattharaksa -
  • Adjunct Associate Professor

Keywords:

Human behavioral factors, Technical abilities, the Performance of health information systems, District health information systems

Abstract

 The primary objective of a health information system is to scale up the effectiveness of services by
ascertaining that health managers and service providers use health data to make informed decisions.
Human behaviour largely affects the produced by the Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS).
This research aimed to assess howhuman behavioural factors:competence, confidence, motivation, and
the technical abilities: knowledge of routine health information systems rationale, data quality checking skills,
and problem-solving skills of District Health Information System (DHIS) staff affected the health system
performance.
The cross-sectional design was used to collect data from Bomet county, Kenya. Descriptive statistic was
used to analyze the data using percentages, frequencies, mean and median. The Chi-square test was used to
test the population variance. T-test and F-test were used to explore the differences in mean for the different
variables. Cross tabulation was used to examinethe performance of participants on the competency test.
Confirmatory factor analysis was used to reduce the number of variables. Thelinear regression analysis
showed that years of service could predict the ability of staff to provide feedback, competence to execute tasks,
confidence to perform the duties.

Out of 223 questionnaires distributed, 209 were correctly completed and returned, giving the research a 94%
response rate. Most participants were nurses (40%). Majority of the participants were between 30-40 years
(48.5%). Diploma holders constituted 75.12%. Untrained staffon RHIS constituted 89.95%. The overall level
of knowledge of the study participants was analyzed using the sum score of each outcome based on Bloom's
cut-off point.Trained staff were more competent than untrained staff (p = .000). Respondentsrated themselves
at above 70% inthe performance of RHIS tasks. There was astrong correlation between competence and
confidence (correlation coefficient = 0.893, p < 0.001). Trained staff were more knowledge able than untrained
staff (p = .000), and they also had better data quality checking skills (p = .001). 20-30 years old staff were more
competent in problem-solving processes than those above 41 yearsof age.
The county government should encourage the training of trainers to speed up staff trainingon effective
collection of data and use of data to make informed decisions. Staff involvement through regular meetings
should occur to ensure information sharing and resolution of any out standing operational challenges.

Author Biographies

Angela C Rotich

Angela is a Kenyan student of the College of Health Systems Management, Naresuan University. She used to be a compliance monitoring office, Postal Corporation of Keny before y pursuing a Master of Science in Health Systems Management: Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand

CORE VALUES
Efficiency, Competence, Hard work, Respect, Honesty, and Accountability

Adjunct Associate Professor

David mainly works at the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New England, Australia, and had extensive senior management experience in the public health sector that includes being a former CEO of a large Area Health Service, General Manager of a District Health Service, and CEO of a 300 bed acute regional referral hospital and was formerly health management course coordinator in the School of Health UNE.

David is Chair, New England Medicare Local, Editor Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, President, Society of Health Administration Programs in Health Education and Senior Advisor to the Faculty of the Centre of Expertise on Hospital and Health Services Management at Naresuan University in Thailand and ASEAN Institute of Health Development, Mahidol University, Thailand.

References

Ahanhanzo, Y., Ouedraogo, L. T., Kpozehouen, A.,

Coppieters, Y., Makoutode, M., & WilmetDramaix, M. (2014). Factors associated with data

quality in the routine health information system

of Benin. Archives of public health, 72(1), 1-8.

Aqil, A., Lippeveld, T., & Hozumi, D. (2009). PRISM

framework: a paradigm shift for designing,

strengthening and evaluating routine health

information systems. Health policy and planning,

(3), 217-228.

Aqil, A., Lippeveld, T., Moussa, T., & Barry, A. (2008).

Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative

and quantitative approaches. MEASURE

Evaluation, USAID.

Aqil, A., Lippeveld, T., Moussa, T., & Barry, A. (2012).

PRISM tools user guide: the performance of

routine information system management (PRISM)

framework. Chapel Hill, NC: MEASURE

Evaluation, Carolina Population Center.

Belay, H., Azim, T., & Kassahun, H. (2013). Assessment

of health management information system

(HMIS) performance in SNNPR, Ethiopia.

Measure Evaluation..

Bernard, H. R. (2017). Research methods in anthropology:

Qualitative and quantitative approaches: Rowman

& Littlefield.

Boone, D., & Aqil, A. (2008). Haiti HSIS Evaluation

Report. MEASURE Evaluation, Haiti Ministry

of Health, USAID. Chapman, A. D., Principles

of data quality. 2005: GBIF.

Buntin, M. B., Burke, M. F., Hoaglin, M. C., & Blumenthal,

D. (2011). The benefits of health information

technology: a review of the recent literature shows

predominantly positive results. Health affairs,

(3), 464-471.

Cheburet, S., & Odhiambo-Otieno, G. (2016). Process

factors influencing data quality of routine health

management information system: case of Uasin

Gishu County Referral Hospital, Kenya.

Gimbel, S., Micek, M., Lambdin, B., Lara, J., Karagianis,

M., Cuembelo, F., ... & Sherr, K. (2011). An

assessment of routine primary care health

information system data quality in Sofala

Province, Mozambique. Population health

metrics, 9(1), 1-9.

Harikumar, S. (2012). Evaluation of Health Management

Information Systems-A Study of HMIS in Kerala.

(Doctoral dissertation, SCTIMST).

Herbst, K., Littlejohns, P., Rawlinson, J., Collinson, M.,

& Wyatt, J. C. (1999). Evaluating computerized

health information systems: hardware, software

and human ware: experiences from the Northern

Province, South Africa. Journal of Public Health,

(3), 305-310.

Heywood, A., & Rohde, J. (2001). Using information for

action: a manual for health workers at facility

level. South Africa: EQUITY Project., 123.

Hotchkiss, D. R., Aqil, A., Lippeveld, T., & Mukooyo,

E. (2010). Evaluation of the performance of

routine information system management (PRISM)

framework: evidence from Uganda. BMC health

services research, 10(1), 1-17.

Hotchkiss, D. R., Diana, M. L., & Foreit, K. G. F. (2012).

How can routine health information systems

improve health systems functioning in low-and

middle-income countries? Assessing the evidence

base. Health information technology in the

international context.

Kamadjeu, R., Tapang, E., & Moluh, R. (2005).

Designing and implementing an electronic health

record system in primary care practice in

sub-Saharan Africa: a case study from Cameroon.

Journal of Innovation in Health Informatics, 13(3),

-186.

Kuyo, R. O., Muiruri, L., & Njuguna, S. (2018).

Organizational factors influencing the adoption

of the district health information system 2 in Uasin

Gishu County, Kenya. International Journal of

Medical Research & Health Sciences, 7(10), 48-57.

Ministry of Health, Division of Health Information

Systems. (2009). Terms of Reference for Software

Acquisition. Nairobi, Kenya.

Mphatswe, W., Mate, K. S., Bennett, B., Ngidi, H., Reddy,

J., Barker, P. M., & Rollins, N. (2012). Improving

public health information: a data quality

intervention in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90,

-182.

Narattharaksa, K., Speece, M., Newton, C., & Bulyalert,

D. (2016). Key success factors behind electronic

medical record adoption in Thailand. Journal of

health organization and management, 30(6),985-

Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/

insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHOM-10-2014-0180/

full/html

Nicol, E., Bradshaw, D., Phillips, T., & Dudley, L. (2013).

Human factors affecting the quality of routinely

collected data in South Africa. In MEDINFO 2013

(pp. 788-792). Ios Press.

Odhiambo-Otieno, G. W. (2005). Evaluation criteria

for district health management information

systems: lessons from the Ministry of Health,

Kenya. African Health Sciences, 5(1), 59-64.

Retrieved 5April 2020 from https://www.ncbi.

nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1831895/pdf/

AFHS0501-0059.pdf

Rotich, J. K., Hannan, T. J., Smith, F. E., Bii, J., Odero,

W. W., Vu, N., ... & Tierney, W. M. (2003).

Installing and implementing a computer-based

patient record system in sub-Saharan Africa:

The Mosoriot Medical Record System. Journal

of the American Medical Informatics Association, 10(4), 295-303.

Shiferaw, A. M., Zegeye, D. T., Assefa, S., & Yenit,

M. K. (2017). Routine health information system

utilization and factors associated thereof among

health workers at government health institutions

in East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. BMC

medical informatics and decision making, 17(1),

-9.

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social

Affairs, Population Division (2019). World

PopulationProspects 2019, Volume II: Demographic Profiles (ST/ESA/SER.A/427). Retrieved

April 2022 from https://population.un.org/wpp/

Graphs/1_Demographic%20Profiles/Kenya.pdf

World Health Organization. (2019). Violence and Injury

Prevention, Data Collection. 2019. Retrived 6

March 2019 from https://www.who.int/news-room/

fact-sheets/detail/injuries-and-violence

Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis.

(No. HA29 Y2 1967).

Yimer, M., Abera, B., Mulu, W., & Bezabih, B. (2014).

Knowledge, attitude and practices of high risk

populations on louse-borne relapsing fever in

Bahir Dar city, north-west Ethiopia. Science

Journal of Public Health, 2(1), 15-22.

Downloads

Published

2022-08-23

How to Cite

Rotich, A. C., Narattharaksa, K., & Briggs, D. S. . (2022). An assessment of the effects of behavioural factors (competence, confidence, and motivation) and technical abilities of health professionals on the performance of health information systems: A case study in Kenya. NU Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences, 16(2), 42–54. Retrieved from https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/NurseNu/article/view/254559