Reliability of Performance Factors for Evaluating Electronic Health Information Systems

Introduction

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines an electronic health system (eHealth) as a computerised medical record used to capture, store, and share information amongst healthcare providers within an organisation, supporting the delivery of healthcare services to patients. Over the decade, there has been a growing number of eHealth initiatives in developing countries, most of which are donor-funded. The presence of ICTs and technological innovations has given health services providers the means to diagnose, prevent disease, treat problems and illnesses, and facilitate the provision of health services. Benefits of eHealth include ease of access to health information, reduction in medical errors, efficiency in healthcare delivery, improvement and support for medical training and research facilitation, and improvement of management and supervision for health services. In addition, eHealth technologies can improve communication between health institutions, medication management and ordering and follow-up and detect patient care and progress. However, it is vital to show that the current growth for eHealth is driven by consumer preferences, technical capabilities, health system policy and economic considerations.