A mobile phone based clinical summaries model for health care providers and patients at Kabarak University Health Centre

Abstract

Recording and communicating patient level data by a Medicare provider is normally done through a clinical summary. However, such communications are normally done in formats which are not easy to understand/translate hence inhibiting current and future interactions between a provider and a patient. This study evaluated the clinical summaries system used by Kabarak University Health Centre with a view of designing and developing a Mobile Phone Based Clinical Summaries model. The study objectives were to: determine parameters that compose a clinical summary; assess providers’ and patients’ view and use of clinical summaries; establish the challenges with the current system of recording clinical summaries and to design and develop a Mobile Phone Based Clinical Summaries model for Health Care Providers and Patients at Kabarak University Health Centre. The study was guided by Systems Theory, SDMX-HD and REST protocols. Mixed method research approach was adopted utilizing a case study strategy to gather model requirements and prototyping for model development. The study targeted a population of 82 respondents comprising of health care providers: 3 Clinical Officers, 2 Doctors, 2 Laboratory Technicians, 10 Nurses, 3 Pharmacists, 3 Records Officers; 58 Patients and 1 ICT Staff. Purposive sampling was used to draw out all the health care providers and ICT staff targeted while simple random and purposive sampling was used to draw out 10 patients. Data was collected through interview, questionnaires and documentary reviews. Quantitative data was subjected to descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study established that patient demographics, vital signs, medication list, lab results, test ordered, radiological tests and referral information were the parameters that compose a clinical summary. Verbal, handwritten, pre-printed checklist and EMR were the formats used to provide the summaries and the challenges arose from confidentiality and privacy of patient data, technology and communication. The study concluded that the model designed and developed alleviates the challenges inherent in the Kabarak University Clinical Summaries System. It is recommended that the model be adopted by Kabarak University Health Centre and other Hospitals in Kenya who have deployed an Electronic Medical Records System.