Title:	IDENTITY IN PRACTICE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPUTER BASED HEALTH MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY IN ETHIOPIA
Author(s):	Lagebo Birkinesh Woldeyohannes
ISBN:	978-972-8939-09-0
Editors:	Miguel Baptista Nunes, Pedro Isaías and Philip Powell
Year:	2010
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Identity, practice, Health Management Information System, Health staff
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	45
Last Page:	52
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	Computer-based health management information system (HMIS) was introduced in all seventeen zones of the Oromia region in Ethiopia with the aim of improving the existing system. Despite the fact that the same effort was carried out in all zones, it was only four zones of one particular unit and the Regional Health Bureau that adopted the system. This paper seeks to understand the reasons behind the various outcomes of the implementation of a computer-based HMIS by investigating the health staff identity. Identity in practice concept was employed from communities of practice theory to study the health staff identity in respect of HMIS practice to understand their impact on the outcome. The research identified the centrality of the health staff identity to HMIS activity, and Information Technology (IT) competence played a great role in adopting the introduced system. A few health workers with central identity to HMIS and having IT competence adopted the system while others did not due to lack of IT competence and unfavorable working conditions. All health workers at peripheral positions to HMIS activity failed to adopt the computerized system owing to the heavy workloads that they have in their primary jobs. Using this understanding, I propose first to raise the health community awareness regarding the importance of HMIS to effective health service delivery that helps to arrange conducive environment to health staff central to HMIS activity like other health staff. Secondly, the HMIS implementation should begin with health staff who are central to the HMIS activity and scaled to others with a show case.
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