The application of legislative frameworks for the management of medical records in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Medical records management needs to be governed using a legal framework to avoid records being lost, modified, altered, misfiled and/or damaged, since that may result in a struggle to locate them and wasting time. Medical records management, like any other field, has to be guided by a sound legislative framework. The application of legislation in the management of medical records can help safeguard privacy and confidentiality and curb the loss, modification, alteration, damage and misfiling of records. The study sought to assess the extent to which public hospitals in the Limpopo Province, South Africa apply legislation in the management of medical records. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires completed by records management staff members in the hospitals of Limpopo. This study applied a quantitative research methodology and a survey research design. The study revealed that legal prescripts were not appropriately followed in the healthcare institutions due to a lack of fundamental resources. The study recommended, among other things, the provision of adequate resources and the appointment of suitably qualified records managers and staff or the development of staff capacity to ensure that appropriate legal frameworks are implemented adequately.Information Scienc

ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION READINESS TO IMPROVE MEDICAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

This study sought to establish readiness for implementation of ECM to improve medical records management in the public hospitals of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The use of digital systems such as enterprise content management (ECM) to manage medical records is fundamental to ensure timely access, sharing and use of the medical records by healthcare providers and hospital management. This is because timely access to medical records will result in timely healthcare service delivery to the patients. There have been many different kinds of digital systems applied in different organisations for different categories of records throughout the world. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires directed to the Records Management Units at the public hospitals in the Limpopo Province of South Africa supported with observation and document/system analysis. The study reveals that the hospitals in the Limpopo Province had not yet implemented ECM as a system and had limited IT resources like computers, printers, servers, network points and internet access. This study appears to be the first of its nature to investigate the readiness of the hospitals in Limpopo province of South Africa for implementation of enterprise content management system. The study recommends that ECM be implemented to improve medical records management in the public hospitals of Limpopo since the hospitals had no effective systems for proper management of medical records

Records management in support of service delivery in the public health sector of the Limpopo Province in South Africa

This study focuses on records management in support of service delivery in the public health sector of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study sought to investigate whether the current records-keeping practices support or undermine service delivery and the e-health readiness level. Mixed methods were used for the survey. Questionnaires, observation and interviews were used to collect data. Purposive sampling method was used to identify interview participants and stratified random sampling for questionnaire participants. The total population of the study was 324 from which 210 participants were sampled. The response rate was 77% (162). The study discovered that records management negatively affected timely and effective health care services. This resulted in long patient waiting times and patients being treated without their medical history records. The study recommended the introduction of an electronic records management system capable of capturing and providing access to a full patient record and tracking paper record movement.Information ScienceM.A. (Information Science

A framework to embed medical records management into the healthcare service delivery in Limpopo Province of South Africa

The importance of records management to the provision of healthcare services cannot be overemphasised. If medical records are not managed properly, this might result in the provision of poor healthcare services. This is because usually if medical records are not properly managed, the healthcare institutions attain inaccurate, untimely, incomplete and unauthentic records or the records fade completely. Records that are not managed properly are easily lost, modified, altered, misfiled and/or damaged, which results in a struggle to locate them and, eventually, much time is lost. Records of this kind may not support healthcare service providers properly in decision-making, problem-solving, monitoring and evaluation of service for continuous service improvement. This study utilised the five elements of trusted records management (records management governance practice, staff capacity and competencies, recordkeeping system and technology, and records archival processes) to investigate the development of a framework to embed medical records management into the healthcare service delivery practice for effective records management practice. The study predominantly utilised a quantitative approach with some support from a limited scope of qualitative data to augment numeric data. The data was collected using the four different techniques, namely questionnaire, interview, observation and system/documents analysis. The study revealed that the mode of medical record management was not effectively enabling the institution to manage medical records properly due to lack of integrated medical records management framework into the healthcare business process. The medical records management technology also lacked file tracking system, records backup, and audit trail which compromise records safety and security. The study recommended supply of the necessary resources, with a framework that the healthcare institutions may adopt to embed medical records management into the healthcare service delivery. ECM may also be implemented to incorporate electronic records management systems, information management, web content and other add-ons to support the records management framework in ensuring effective discharge of all records management functional requirements on the healthcare business process. A further study was recommended about the development of an online outpatient consultation system and medical records access to avoid patient long turnaround time for service.Information ScienceD. Litt. et. Phil. (Information Science

A Framework to Integrate Healthcare Records in the South African Public Hospitals Using Blockchain Technology

In the public sector in South Africa, health records are not integrated into a single system and a new file is opened every time a patient consults in a different hospital. This compromises the quality of the medical services as the doctors diagnose a patient without the medical history. At times, healthcare providers find it difficult or impossible to treat the patients without access to the medical history of patients because it involves high risks that include repetition or duplication of treatments and prescriptions. This study conducted literature review to demonstrate a need for a framework which involves the use of blockchain technology for security to integrate healthcare records in the South African public hospitals. It was established that one of the elements that impedes the integration of the health records in South Africa is security of information. A framework that enables public hospitals using blockchain technology for security to integrate health records is suggested. The framework enables public hospitals anywhere in the country to access the complete, accurate and secure health records of a patient, irrespective of where the file as opened. Blockchain can be used to secure such information so that when health records are integrated, a complete, accurate and secure medical history can be generated. In that regard, a health record of a patient can be accessed and added anywhere in the country, leaving a digital trail for a system that can be trusted inherently.Information Scienc

A framework for medical records appraisal as a first gear towards an eventual efficient disposal to support effective healthcare service delivery

The importance of records appraisal in the public healthcare sector is worth prioritising during healthcare business planning. If records are not properly appraised may lead to storage congestion, which lead to untidy filing that results in misfiling or no filing at all, resulting in retrieval difficulties or impossible retrieval during healthcare service delivery. In the healthcare institutions, that may lead to patients receiving poor service or no service at all. This study sought to investigate and recommend a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal as a means to ensure support to effective healthcare service delivery in the public hospitals of the Limpopo province of South Africa. This predominantly quantitative study used the questionnaire supported by documents analysis and observation to collect data in 40 hospitals in Limpopo. The study discovered that retention periods for different categories of medical records in the public healthcare sector of the Limpopo province was conducted and populated into the policy and filing plans but no disposal was implemented. Instead, these appraisal products which are policy, procedure manual and filing plans, are not implemented due to a lack of key resources. Officials are still struggling with the search for medical records required by doctors in a pool of useless records that should have being disposed of many years ago. The study recommended a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal to ensure effective support to healthcare service delivery and appropriate management support with the required resources

A framework for medical records appraisal as a first gear towards an eventual efficient disposal to support effective healthcare service delivery

The importance of records appraisal in the public healthcare sector is worth prioritising during healthcare business planning. If records are not properly appraised may lead to storage congestion, which lead to untidy filing that results in misfiling or no filing at all, resulting in retrieval difficulties or impossible retrieval during healthcare service delivery. In the healthcare institutions, that may lead to patients receiving poor service or no service at all. This study sought to investigate and recommend a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal as a means to ensure support to effective healthcare service delivery in the public hospitals of the Limpopo province of South Africa. This predominantly quantitative study used the questionnaire supported by documents analysis and observation to collect data in 40 hospitals in Limpopo. The study discovered that retention periods for different categories of medical records in the public healthcare sector of the Limpopo province was conducted and populated into the policy and filing plans but no disposal was implemented. Instead, these appraisal products which are policy, procedure manual and filing plans, are not implemented due to a lack of key resources. Officials are still struggling with the search for medical records required by doctors in a pool of useless records that should have being disposed of many years ago. The study recommended a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal to ensure effective support to healthcare service delivery and appropriate management support with the required resources

A framework for medical records appraisal as a first gear towards an eventual efficient disposal to support effective healthcare service delivery

The importance of records appraisal in the public healthcare sector is worth prioritising during healthcare business planning. If records are not properly appraised may lead to storage congestion, which lead to untidy filing that results in misfiling or no filing at all, resulting in retrieval difficulties or impossible retrieval during healthcare service delivery. In the healthcare institutions, that may lead to patients receiving poor service or no service at all. This study sought to investigate and recommend a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal as a means to ensure support to effective healthcare service delivery in the public hospitals of the Limpopo province of South Africa. This predominantly quantitative study used the questionnaire supported by documents analysis and observation to collect data in 40 hospitals in Limpopo. The study discovered that retention periods for different categories of medical records in the public healthcare sector of the Limpopo province was conducted and populated into the policy and filing plans but no disposal was implemented. Instead, these appraisal products which are policy, procedure manual and filing plans, are not implemented due to a lack of key resources. Officials are still struggling with the search for medical records required by doctors in a pool of useless records that should have being disposed of many years ago. The study recommended a framework for medical records appraisal to eventual disposal to ensure effective support to healthcare service delivery and appropriate management support with the required resources

A framework to align patient records management practices with healthcare provisions in the public hospitals in Limpopo province

Records management frameworks have always played a central role in ensuring effective records management in organisations, but if not properly aligned with business systems and workflow, patients’ records become difficult to manage effectively. The ineffective management of records creates problems for service providers or records end-users and their clients. For instance, records may be lost or misfiled, which eventually makes it impossible for patients healthcare service providers or records end-users and their clients to access the patient’s health and medical history. This study sought to propose a framework for use by healthcare institutions to align their medical records management processes with the healthcare service business process or workflow in the Limpopo province, South Africa. The researcher used a questionnaire to collect quantitative data, supported by data collected using the observation method. The author discovered that the current practice of records management in the healthcare institutions of the Limpopo province in South Africa is not aligned with healthcare service delivery, which has a negative impact on the safety and security of medical records. This resulted in healthcare providers not having access to the medical records of their patients, which is vital in assessing patients’ medical status. The recommendation made here is that healthcare institutions should use a recommended medical records management framework to align their records management processes with healthcare service delivery, so as to strengthen safety and security and allow healthcare providers appropriate access to medical records, as part of the workflow process

Framework for medical and health records management skills and competency development in Limpopo public hospitals to support healthcare service delivery in the digital era

Skills and competency are vital for successful performance of any business function or activity in any organisation. The medical and health records management functions and activities in the public hospitals are no exception. If medical and health records are managed without appropriate skills and competency, they become inaccessible/non-locatable, are damaged or stolen, go missing or are misfiled, altered and even falsified. This eventually results in a chaotic healthcare service or even an inability by healthcare providers to render healthcare services. This study sought to develop a framework that may be applied to map-out standard requirements for officials responsible for medical and health records management to ensure that they are sufficiently capacitated with skills and competencies to effectively support public healthcare service in the digital age in Limpopo public hospitals. Data was collected using a questionnaire, as well as observations and interviews. The study discovered that the training and capacity building of records management staff in the public hospitals of Limpopo, South Africa, is lacking to such an extent that healthcare services are compromised.  The study recommends a framework for medical and health records management skills and competency development to support public healthcare service delivery and ensure provision of the necessary resources.Keywords: Medical Records, Health Records, Framework, Skills and Competency, Public Health, Service Deliver