Factors Determining E-Health Readiness by Higher Education Institution Students in an Emerging Country

Introduction

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been used in many sectors such as the commerce and the banking sector to solve problems around the world. While the prior observation is the case, ICTs are also important in the provision of tools and knowledge needed for improving healthcare services delivery in both private and public sectors thereby transforming health operations and processes in developing nations through the use of electronic health (Kgasi & Kalema, 2014).

By tradition, the most reliable source of health-related information to patients are healthcare professionals (De Rosis & Barsanti, 2016; Xiang & Stanley, 2017). Moreover, the recording of patients’ health information has been done and is still being done on paper in most countries. The use of paper to record patients’ information comes with its limitation of poor availability, incomplete data and data that has been fragmented. However, greater accessibility to the internet makes it possible for the broad accessibility of online health-related information that provides people with a new source of health knowledge (Xiang & Stanley, 2017).

Many countries have introduced and implemented e-health. Developed countries are at an advanced level of implementation and adoption of e-health as compared to developing countries. Adding on, it is important in any country to understand the compound processes of change and learning that come with the implementation of e-health at the levels of medical professionals, patients and healthcare organizations (Faber, van Geenhuizen & de Reuver, 2017; Lee, Cain, Young, Chockley & Burstin, 2005) because knowledge is still limited and uncertain on the adoption processes of e-health. Moreover, it is also vital to understand the readiness of stakeholders that are affected by the implementation of e-health as it may assist in determining whether the technology is likely to be adopted.

In terms of where this study has been carried, Botswana, the country has an enabling environment that supports and funds information and communication technology (ICT) from the private and public sector (World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, 2014). This enabling environment that supports and funds ICT from the private and public sector has been put in place since 1997 (World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, 2014). Nonetheless, Botswana has also developed a national ICT policy aimed at guiding, integrating and coordinating all the ICT initiatives (Government of Botswana, 2004). This was developed after the health electronic readiness (e-readiness) assessment was conducted (World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, 2014). According to the Government of Botswana (2004), the country is still behind in enjoying the full benefits of ICT when compared to other developing countries. One of the areas addressed in the national ICT policy included the use of ICT in the health sector.

In the health sector, Botswana as a developing country established an integrated health service plan for 2010-2020. In the ten-year strategic plan, the strategic information management area has the main strategic objective of strengthening the information management system of the national response, which would allow information sharing, and its use for evidence-based planning (Ministry of Health,Government of Botswana, 2010). Additionally, the main strategic objective was followed by the strategic objective that focuses on e-health whereby the health information system is strengthened to enhance the generation of data that could be further used for evidence-based planning (Ministry of Health,Government of Botswana, 2010). With the strategies on e-health put in place in Botswana, e-health initiatives are still in their infancy. However, the government of Botswana collaborated with developed countries to get support on e-health since it requires substantial financial and human capital investments (Nkwe, 2012). The partnership with other developed countries helped Botswana to get e-health machines from the government of India that enabled projects such as telemedicine and the integrated systems for patient management and health workers being commissioned (Nkwe, 2011).