Abstract:
Health is a fundamental human right in the development of a country, and the
delivery of quality healthcare services is largely supported by sound medical records
management. In Tanzania the Ministry of Health established Ocean Road Cancer
Institute which serves as the hub for cancer services. The Institute generates a lot of
vital records and other information related to cancer which calls for prudent
management. From past observations made at the Institute, it was established that
there were inadequacies in the existing records management practices due to poor
organization of medical records particularly in locating and retrieving of patient files
required in fulfilling clinical activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the
role of medical records management in supporting patient care at Ocean Road
Cancer Institute and to propose strategies for improvement in the management of
medical records. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine how medical
records were managed at Ocean Road Cancer Institute; examine the contributions
that medical records provide to patient care at the Institute; determine the integration
of ICTs in the management and use of medical records in patient care; explore the
challenges faced in the management of medical records at Ocean Road Cancer
Institute and finally suggest strategies for improving the management of medical
records in support of patient care at the Institute. The study was informed by the
records continuum model founded by Frank Upward, complemented by the Chronic
Care Model founded by Wagner et al. The study employed a qualitative research
design techniques. The target population was 190 from which a sample size of 100
respondents was picked representing about 50% of the population. A total of 10
Records Management staff selected purposively acted as key informants. Semi
structured face-to-face interviews were the main data collection instrument.
Qualitative data were analysed thematically by using frequency and percentages. The
study found that the support of medical records for patient care had been undermined
by poor records management due to lack of medical records management policy,
medical records retention and disposal schedule and poor tracking system. The study
concludes that poor medical records practices had reduced on the effectiveness of
medical records in supporting of patient care at the Institute. The study recommends
the formulation of medical records management policy and development of medical
records procedure manual and guideline, improving tracking tools for controlling
movement of medical records, formulation and implementation of disaster
preparedness plan.