Electronic Health Records For Diseases Surveillance in Public Health

ABSTRACT

Introduction of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems has the potential of improving the quality and accessibility of information and communication for healthcare delivery and also the quality of healthcare services in the healthcare system. Reliable, accessible health information leads to timely health policies planning and interventions, which leads to improvement in the general health status of a country. The key objective of this research is to explore if the electronic health systems being used in some health facilities in Ghana are designed with public health in mind in terms of monitoring communicable and non-communicable diseases. Method The study used an exploratory approach to examine the components and design of the electronic systems being used in some health facilities in the country. A cross sectional survey was used to collect data. The population for this study was health facilities using any form of electronic health system for collecting and storing patient data. Data obtained were summarized as frequencies and percentages using Microsoft Excel software. Results Most facility systems have all the components of an EHR system. The International Classification of Disease is the most popular standard of classification of disease used by these systems. All systems use an internally generated identification to identify patients. 50% of the facilities are able to generate report on chronic and infectious diseases. 33.3% had a form of decision support system and 16.7% provides reminders to physicians of appointment with patients.