Differences in Knowledge and Practice of Health Information Management among Health Care Managers in Urban and Rural Districts of Ghana: A Comparative Study

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Differences in Knowledge and Practice of Health Information Management among Health Care Managers in Urban and Rural Districts of Ghana: A Comparative Study

Richmond Bediako Nsiah¹*, ¹Solomon Anum-Doku, ¹Dominic Nyarko, ³Wisdom Takramah, ¹Gbiel L. Ngmenlanaa, ¹Gifty Sefaah Owusu, ²George Hector Amonoo, ¹Gilbert Dagoe, ¹Sabina Appiah, ¹Justice A. Boahen
¹Public Health Department, Ghana Health Service, Ashanti Region, Ghana
²Public Health Department, Ghana Health Service, Central Region, Ghana
³School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
*Corresponding author

Abstract. Health care managers in urban settings have a greater advantage over their rural counterparts when it comes to the needed essential training and logistics such as access to constant information technology and communication media to ensure effective health information management among health facilities. This assumption perceived health care managers in urban settings to have adequate knowledge and practice of health information management compared to their rural counterparts. This study, compared means scores of knowledge and practice of health information management among rural and urban health care managers in 67 conveniently selected government health facilities from 1st February to 10th March 2022 in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study consisted of 37 (55.2%) urban and 30 (44.8%) rural managers of government health facilities (N= 67). Adequate health information management knowledge levels for rural and urban settings were 36.7% and 34.3% respectively. The level of adherence to good health information management practices for rural and urban were 53.3% and 43.2% respectively. The study revealed no statistical difference in the mean scores for knowledge t(65) = -0.08, p = 0.94 and practice t(65) = -0.59, p = 0.56 of health information management between rural and urban settings. Continuous capacity building tailored to health information management is paramount to ensure adequate knowledge and practice to improve health information practice among health facility managers in both rural and urban settings.

Keywords: health information management, Offinso North, Asokore Mampong, Ashanti Region, Data Management, Rural, Urban

I.INTRODUCTION

Health data management is mostly judged by some health care professionals as a mechanism for only collecting information and transmitting it routinely or periodically to the higher levels paying little to no attention to its use at the level generation for effective decisions (3). Health data management in a broader perspective encompasses routine and periodic patients or health events data; collection, storage (using online or local storage devices), validation (to ensure data accuracy),

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