INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES DELIVERY IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
IT is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data, typically in the context of a business or other enterprise. Although the term is commonly used to refer to computers and computer networks, it also refers to other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Information technology is associated with several industries, including computer hardware, software, electronics, semiconductors, the internet, telecom equipment, engineering, healthcare, e-commerce, and computer services (Wikipedia, 2015).
The world’s population now exceeds six billion, with more than 4.7 billion living in developing countries. As the world’s population grows, there is a greater need to find ways to improve the efficiency and quality of health-care delivery systems in developing countries, particularly Nigeria.
There is research going on. ICT has been identified as a vehicle with the potential to improve the quality of health care systems as well as the efficiency and service delivery of health workers in both developed and developing countries. Information and communication technologies have altered the face of our world (Jensen, 1998).
People can use ICT to communicate with family, friends, and colleagues all over the world in real time, as well as gain access to global libraries and information resources. ICT may also lead to improvements in health-care delivery systems. As a result, we can consider information technology to be one of the driving forces behind globalization.
The telecommunications industry has experienced revolutionary growth since 2001. which is a significant branch of information technology in Nigeria. This is expected to have spread throughout health-care institutions, having a significant positive impact on health-care service delivery. Two years after the introduction of GSM in Nigeria, an interview was conducted among medical practitioners in some Nigerian teaching hospitals to determine the current level of telephone utilization for health care service delivery. They pointed out that medical professionals use their personal cellphones to help patients at their own expense. Neither the government nor the hospital administration had accepted responsibility. Currently, the number of GSM service providers in the country has increased significantly, and all of them continue to roll out a variety of service options or packages, including internet services, with varying benefits to customers.
entice customers (Agboola, 2003). Nonetheless, a GSM-based referral system has been developed, validated, and recommended for use in primary health care clinics. The extent to which telecommunications growth has influenced tertiary health care service delivery and how far this has aided the development of an ICT-driven health care practice in Nigeria is unknown. This has necessitated research into the relationship between information technology and service delivery in River State’s tertiary hospitals.
The level of information technology infrastructure possessed and used by a country influences the production of quality health-care service delivery. A good information technology infrastructure is thus required for improving a country’s well-being. Gates (1999) reported that intra- and inter-organizational networks in some advanced countries function like an organization’s digital neural system. As a result, he concluded that health-related information communication has shifted from a largely manual or physical documentary method to digital communication. He went on to say that such access to information technology has aided in the dissemination of information to the rest of the world. Through the use of information technology, American doctors can now collaborate as frequently and as quickly as they want with other medical doctors around the world. For example, while examining a patient, a doctor may be able to send an electronic x-ray of the patient to a leading expert in another country who can easily interpret and provide advice. Within a few minutes, you can learn more about the disease or condition and provide feedback to the medical doctor. Medical researchers can use the Internet to identify research issues, search literature databases, and find information on surveys, clinical trials, and published research results as part of their research and application processes.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Several studies on information technology use among medical and health workers found that, while information technology capabilities (personal computers, mobile phones, and the Internet) were available in Nigerian teaching hospitals, mobile phones were rapidly spreading. In advanced countries, information technology has greatly advanced the course of health care delivery. It is also well known that computers and mobile phones were used in all teaching hospitals, but there was little Internet connectivity, which meant that most medical experts relied on external (non-hospital) Internet services, such as cybercafés, for even rudimentary Internet access, such as e-mail. Several studies have revealed that, while only 1.4% of medical staff did not use the Internet in any way, the vast majority (70.7%) of those who did use it did so in a positive way. The Internet only did so for e-mail. The researcher, on the other hand, is investigating the impact of information technology on service delivery in Nigerian teaching hospitals.
1.3 Purpose/objectives of the Study
The following are the study’s objectives:
1. To assess the level of information technology use in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals.
2. To investigate the relationship between information technology and service delivery in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals.
3. Determine the factors limiting the use of information technology in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals.
1.4 Research Questions
1. What is the level of information technology use in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals?
2. What is the relationship between information technology and service delivery in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals?
3. What factors are limiting the use of information technology in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
HO: In Rivers State, there is no significant relationship between information technology and service delivery in tertiary hospitals.
HA: There is a strong link between information technology and service delivery in Rivers State’s tertiary hospitals.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The following are the study’s implications:
1. The study’s findings will educate administrators in the Nigerian health sector about the benefits of information technology on service delivery when used in tertiary hospitals.
2. This research will also serve as a resource base for other scholars and researchers interested in conducting additional research in this field in the future, and if applied, will go so far as to provide new explanations for the topic.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study on information technology and service delivery will look at the level of use of information technology-based systems in Rivers state tertiary hospitals, as well as their impact on health care service delivery.
1.8 Limitation of the study
1. Financial constraint- Inadequate funds tend to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview).
2. Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Information technology is the study or application of systems (particularly computers and telecommunications) for storing, retrieving, and transmitting data.
Tertiary referral hospitals (also known as tertiary hospitals, tertiary referral centers, tertiary care centers, or tertiary centers) are large hospitals that provide tertiary care, which is health care from specialists after referral from primary and secondary care.
REFERENCES
M. Jensen (1998). Telecommunications, Internet, and Computer Infrastructure in Africa: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/ (retrieved from the Association for Progressive Communications website).
A.A. Agboola, Inform Technology, Bank Automation, and Workers’ Attitudes in Nigerian Banks, Journal of Social Sciences, Kamla-Raj Enterprises, Gali Bari Paharwali, India, 2003.
E.W. Gates (1999) Information Technology in the Nigerian Health Industry Spectrum, Ibadan, 2000.
Wikipedia (2015): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia/Wikipedia/W
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