Effect of Individual Health Care Workers Related Factors on Uptake of M Health at Chuka County Refferal Hospital in Kenya

Abstract

Many developing countries are investing more in mobile health infrastructure. Despite this, mHealth has not seen widespread adoption by healthcare workers in the developing Nations. In Kenya, mHealth is becoming an increasingly vital part of the healthcare landscape, However challenges such as poor internet connectivity, limited digital literacy, and individual related factors among the Health Care Workers hinder mHealth uptake, connectivity, limited digital literacy, and traditional beliefs hinder mHealth uptake in these regions. There is need for clear understanding of how individual characteristics (age, education, and prior exposure to digital tools) affect the willingness to adopt and utilize mHealth in hospitals to reduce the risk of investing in systems that remain underutilized to achieve the intended improvements in healthcare efficiency and patient safety. This study aimed at establishing the effect of health workers’ individual related factors that influence the uptake of m Health at Chuka County referral hospital in Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design with a mixed methods approach. A total of 190 Health Care Workers (HCWs) were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Another four Key informants who included the medical superintendent, Hospital administrator, information and communication technology officer, and information communication technology maintenance officer (ICT) were also purposively selected. Data for the study was collected using researcher administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The data collection instruments were pretested at Embu level five hospital. Quantitative data collected was analyzed by descriptive statistics. Chi-square tests were used to establish associations between the key variables. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically using the N-Vivo 14 software. The results of the study show that there was low uptake of mHealth by the HCWs. The results showed that that the difference in utilization of m Health among the HCWs by age was significant (P=0.008), the age of the HCWs was significantly associated with uptake of digital Health Technologies (P=0.077, youthful HCWs had a higher ability to trouble shoot than the elderly HCWs(P=0.001) and the ability to use security features of the mHealth devices (P=0.001).The qualitative data revealed that the older HCWs had a negative attitude towards uptake of m Health. The study concluded that the individual factors associated with uptake of mHealth were mainly formal education, level of education, age and technical Knowledge on use of digital health technologies. The study recommended that Healthcare workers at Chuka County referral Hospital should continuously be trained to efficiently use mHealth. This can be done through regular seminars and workshops to improve on the use of mHealth.