Factors influencing healthcare providers’ attitude and willingness to use information technology in diabetes management.

Abstract

Background: The use of information technologies could help to improve communications between patients and care providers, might improve overall patient management practice. However, the potential for implementing these patient management options in Ethiopia has not been well documented. This institution-based survey aimed to describe the attitude and willingness of care providers towards the use of information technologies for managing diabetes patients, and factors influencing their interest.Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted on 423 study participants from February to March 2020 at two teaching hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia, where remote monitoring patients had not been implemented. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required data. Other than descriptive statistics, the binary logistic regression analysis method was used to identify factors associated with attitude. Also, the negative binomial regression method was used to identify factors associated with willingness to use information technologies.Result: A total of 406 participants (69.7%, n= 283 nurses and 30.3%, n=123 physicians) were completed survey. Overall, 64% of respondents had a favorable attitude towards remote monitoring, and the majority of them were willing to use voice call (74.4%), text message (62.1%), video conference (61.3%), e-mail (60.6%), and social media (57.4%) as a source of communication to support patients. The result of regression analysis shows that having a computer (AOR=2.3, 95% CI: [1.3, 3.8]), innovativeness (AOR=2.8, 95% CI: [1.8, 4.3]), and practice of supporting patient by electronic technologies (AOR=1.7, 95% CI: [1.1, 2.6]) were significantly associated with attitude to remote monitoring. Attitude towards remote monitoring (IRR=2.3, 95% CI: 1.1- 4.7), computer use (IRR=1.3, 95% CI: 1.162- 3.023), frequently searching health-related information (IRR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.459-6.570), gender (IRR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.0-5.1), awareness towards remote monitoring (IRR=1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7) were significantly associated with willingness to use information technologies.Conclusion: Improving the intention and skill of using computers should be a major point of attention for teaching hospitals who wish to improve their care providers' attitudes to remote monitoring and willingness in using information technologies. Besides, the awareness of professionals is crucial for improving willingness.

The potential use of digital health technologies in the African context: a systematic review of evidence from Ethiopia

“…Of the final set of 52 studies, 13 were on EHR 77 – 89 , involving 4534 study participants: 4232 health professionals, 250 patients, and 52 healthy individuals. The studies used health information technology, health management information system (HMIS), tablet-based electronic data capture (EDC), electronic information source (EIS), health smart card (HSC), and Android-based data collection system as their EHR of interest.…”

“…Some healthcare professionals still preferred paper-based records to EHR in their daily work 82 , 85 , 87 – 89 while other preferred EHR 82 . Lack of access to EHR training, computer skills, and performance expectancy were the major barriers to their willingness or intention to use EHR 77 – 81 , 83 , 84 , 87 , 88 .…”