Chapter 1: Introduction

1.0    Introduction    

Healthcare is an information intensive industry and healthcare professionals rely on access to correct and comprehensive information, when and where they need it, to inform the daily decisions they make about a person’s care. Information and communications technology is largely absent from the way we generate, capture and share health information as we continue our reliance on handwritten paper records. To say that this reliance on paper is inefficient, wastes money and scarce resources, and compromises patient safety and the quality of care is an understatement. [1]In order to meet these challenges and ensure the sustainability of healthcare, we need to change the way healthcare is funded and delivered.

The challenges facing healthcare, if not addressed appropriately and soon, will become overwhelming. They call into question a nation’s ability to deliver efficient, equitable, affordable, portable, universal, highly accessible and safe, high quality healthcare. According to Professor Odusanya who spoke on: “Improving Healthcare Service Delivery in Nigeria”. The time has indeed come in the country to reconsider the content of healthcare services and make it more accessible and continuous. Nigeria at this time needs a health system that would reduce the number of people dying and as such, it is time that corruption must be done away with and not found in the system at any level of care [2].

Information and communication technologies, ICT is used to describe a range of technologies for gathering, storing, retrieving, processing, analyzing, and transmitting information. Information is seen as a key element to achieving these objectives, as is a workforce trained in the appropriate health information skills. It is an unfortunate reality that healthcare is not as safe as it should be. Adverse events and preventable errors that cause patient harm and death are commonplace in healthcare. These errors are most often not the fault of individuals, but of a system that fails to provide safe and effective care. The cause of preventable errors can be traced to gaps in the flow of information and communication failures both within organizations and across different healthcare service providers. The personal cost of these errors is immeasurable. ICT has helped in bridging distances and providing access to clinical knowledge, specialized expertise and health services thus saving lives and costs. ICT provides access to clinical information, Telemedicine, Online Discussion groups and other tools. The need for reform of health sector and the need for investment in, and deployment of e-health has been part of the healthcare agenda for many years. These well documented challenges include rising demand for healthcare services due to the ageing of the population, the rise in chronic disease and increased consumer expectations; problems with health workforce supply and distribution; inequity of access to services, particularly amongst indigenous, rural and poor populations; quality and safety concerns; and fragmented and limited ability to share information [1]

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