Transforming South Africa’s health sector: The eHealth Strategy, the implementation of electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS) and the utility of maturity models
Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management
ISSN: 2053-4620
Article publication date: 3 October 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of transforming South Africa’s health sector through the country’s eHealth Strategy and particularly one of its key components, the implementation of an integrated Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS).
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducted an extensive review of literature and used it as a basis to analyse the challenges as well as opportunities in South Africa’s transformation path within its health sector based on the nation’s eHealth Strategy.
Findings
South Africa’s health sector faces three main transformation challenges: inequity, legacy of fragmentation and a service delivery structure biased towards curative rather than preventive services. Health information systems provide a solid platform for improving efficiency but, within South Africa, these systems have been highly heterogeneous. A recent study showed the country had more than 40 individual health information systems scattered in all provinces, with over 50 per cent not adhering to any national or international standards and more than 25 per cent being stand-alone applications that shared information neither locally nor externally. The eHealth Strategy offers a robust platform to start addressing the legacy of fragmentation and lack of interoperability. However, it also raises a few other concerns, including the use of different terminology such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) interchangeable with Electronic Health Record (EHR), or EDRMS parallel with Electronic Content Management (ECM). In addition, there is the opportunity to explore the use of the maturity model concept in the EDRMS implementation experiences within South Africa.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrated the complex nature of the legacy of fragmentation in South Africa’s health information systems and explored three aspects relating to terminology as well as maturity models that should be considered in the country’s future eHealth Strategy.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the editor and the anonymous reviewers of this journal for their constructive comments to improve the paper. The author gratefully acknowledges the thoughtful readings of previous iterations of the article by Verne Harris, Sello Hatang, Laura Millar and David Wallace. The views expressed herein are those of the author and should not be attributed to his current employer, the International Atomic Energy Agency, or any of his previous employers.
Citation
Katuu, S. (2016), "Transforming South Africa’s health sector: The eHealth Strategy, the implementation of electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS) and the utility of maturity models", Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 330-345. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-02-2016-0001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited