Project Materials

EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF NURSES TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON NURSING CARE DELIVERY

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study is to assess nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards information technology in nursing care delivery in Enugu. This article investigated knowledge of computer facilities, the amount of understanding of these computer facilities, and whether the aforementioned computer facilities are used in various places where people work. The importance of information technology in nursing care delivery, as well as the barriers to its usage in Enugu, were investigated. This study’s data sources include library records and questionnaire responses. Five health institutions were used in the Enugu metropolis: three government, one mission, and one privately owned hospital. Questionnaires were delivered to 100 people from five hospitals. The acquired data were analysed in tables and figures using the percentage approach or technique. The research findings revealed that there is a high level of awareness regarding information technology and commonly utilised computer facilities such as the internet and internet communications (96% and 94%, respectively). Nurses in Enugu still have a low level of awareness about these regularly utilised computer facilities. Only 23% and 12% of respondents claimed excellent understanding of the internet and internet communications, respectively, while no one (0%) had outstanding knowledge of telephony. The majority of the computer facilities evaluated are currently available and in use in the five hospitals considered for this study. GSM handsets and desktop/laptop computers were utilised at 75% and 70% of the time, respectively, while computer projectors and blood glucose analysers were used at 67% and 62%. None of the five hospitals evaluated lacked these computer facilities. The usefulness of information technology in nursing care delivery was evaluated. Eighty-five and seventy-four percent (85% and 74%) of respondents believed that ICT facilitates student training and research, as well as being a valuable source of knowledge on new diseases and treatments. In terms of speedier disease detection and easier/faster patient care, 52% and 56% of respondents believed that computers aided in these functions. Some barriers to the adoption of ICT in nursing care delivery were also highlighted. Such factors included a lack of access to ICT facilities (71%), poor use of ICT at work (69%), and the high cost of hardware and software (65%). I hereby urge that nurses pursue continuous education in the field of information and communication technology. This should be part of the nurse training curriculum. Nurses should also make personal efforts to gain ICT knowledge. To embrace the current global information revolution, all nurses should be computer proficient.

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study 

According to the fifth edition of the Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, information technology is the study or application of electronic processes for storing and making information available.

Information technology has become an essential component of health care delivery. Flynn (1998) defines information technology or system as a system that provides methods for recording and making available information about a specific element of an organisation in order to assist with organizational-related activities.

Davis (1999) defines information technology as the transmission, processing, and reception of information by electronic means via a computer.

It is the flow of some type of information-carrying commodity through a network. There is no age or position limit for studying information technology.

In October 1999, the Guardian newspaper claimed that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had taken his first hesitant move into information technology. He admits to being incompetent with computers.

He then attended a two-hour computer training class in a shopping mall to learn about word processing, e-mail, and the internet (Guardian, October 25, 1999). Everyone needs to become computer literate. This is significant since the world has entered the Information Age.