Health Information Technologies in a Resource-Limited Setting: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Health Professionals.

The use of health information technology significantly enhances patient outcomes. As a result, policymakers from developing countries have placed strong emphasis on formulating eHealth policies and initiatives. However, there have not been many successful deployments to show for. The role of individual factors in the successful implementation of these technologies is indispensable. Therefore, this study assesses healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practice of health information technology. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from November 15 to December 29, 2020. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Student's t-test was used to learn if there were any significant differences in practice habits between participants with and without previous information technology-related training. In addition, first-order partial correlation was conducted to identify the relationship of knowledge and attitude with practice. A total of 347 health professionals responded to the questionnaire, yielding an 87.2% response rate. Most health professionals are not aware of how to use health information technologies. Notably, practice levels were low and needed prompt action from responsible authorities. Previous training did not work very well to improve the practice levels of health professionals. However, the positive attitude of these professionals encourages policymakers and implementers to engage closely.

Myth and Misinformation on COVID-19 Vaccine: The Possible Impact on Vaccination Refusal Among People of Northeast Ethiopia: A Community-Based Research.

Background: To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and carry out a successful vaccination program especially in low-income countries, people must have faith on scientists and health experts. The most significant challenge to vaccination programs' efficacy is now regarded to be a lack of information and trust in immunization due to myths and misinformation spread in the community. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the myth and misconceptions that are propagated about the COVID-19 vaccine, the refusal rate of the vaccine and determine the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine refusal. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 7 to January 25, 2022. Face-to-face interviews with a standardized questionnaire were used to collect data on the variables. Data were entered into the statistical tool Epi data version 3.1 and then exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression, both bivariable and multivariable, was conducted. In the multivariable binary logistic regression model, the adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistically significant factors based on a p value less than 0.05. Results: Out of the total 574 respondents, 60.3% [95% CI (55.5, 64.2)] of them refused to take COVID-19 vaccine. In this study, respondent's age [AOR = 2.1 at 95% CI: (1.8, 4.9)], perception on COVID-19 vaccine [AOR = 3.0 at 95 CI: (1.9, 4.6)], eHealth literacy [AOR = 2.7 at 95% CI: (1.7, 4.1)], source of information about the vaccine [AOR = 2.9 at 95% CI: (1.9, 4.4)], computer literacy [AOR = 2.8 at 95 CI: (1.8, 4.2)] and frequency of internet use [AOR = 2.2 at 95 CI: (1.8, 5.3)] were identified as determinant factors for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Conclusion: Factors like eHealth literacy, source of information about the vaccine, frequency of internet use, respondent's perception about the vaccine and computer literacy were found to be determinant factors for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

Prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among female youth in East Africa: further analysis of recent demographic and health survey.

BACKGROUND: Early sexual initiation is one of the risky sexual practices. Early sexual beginning is associated with an increased risk of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unexpected pregnancies, unsafe abortion, premature deliveries, and psychosocial issues. However, there is still a lack of evidence, particularly in East Africa, where community-level factors are not investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and to identify associated factors of early sexual initiation among female youth in Eastern Africa. METHODS: A total weighted sample of 49,716 female youth was included in this analysis. STATA version 14 software was used for data extraction, recoding, and analysis. A multilevel binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify determinants of early sexual initiation in the region. Finally, Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported to declare the factors that are significantly associated with early sexual initiation. RESULT: The prevalence of early sexual initiation in East Africa was 21.14% [95% CI: 20.00%, 21.50%]. In the multivariable multilevel analysis; being age 20-24 years [AOR = 0.65: 95% CI; 0.61, 0.69], primary [AOR = 0.73: 95% CI; 0.67, 0.78], secondary &above education [AOR = 0.30: 95% CI; 0.27,0.33], married [AOR = 1.85: 95% CI; 1.73,1.97], middle wealth [AOR = 0.78: 95% CI; 0.72,0.84], richest [AOR = 0.74: 95% CI; 0.68,0.80], and reading newspaper [AOR 0.77: 95% CI;0.71,0.83] were significantly associated with early sexual initiation. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that early sexual initiation among female youth was high in East Africa. Educational status, respondent age, marital status, wealth index, age at first cohabitation, contraceptive use, reading newspaper, and place of residence were associated with early sexual initiation. Therefore, the survey findings will help policymakers, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations, design the most effective interventions. Moreover, strengthening information, education, and wealth status are important intervention areas to delay the age of early sexual debut.

Medical documentation practice and associated factors among health workers at private hospitals in the Amhara region, Ethiopia 2021.

INTRODUCTION: Medical documentation is an important part of the medical process as it is an essential way of communication within the health care system. However, medical documentation practice in the private sector is not well studied in Ethiopian context. The aim of this study was to assess the practice of medical documentation and its associated factors among health workers at private hospitals in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. METHOD: An institution-based cross-sectional quantitative study supplemented with a qualitative design was conducted among 419 health workers at the private hospitals in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia from March 29 to April 29 /2021. Data were collected using both a self-administered questionnaire and interview guide for quantitative and qualitative respectively. Data were entered using Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, Bi-variable, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with eight respondents to explore the challenges related to the practice of medical documentation. Respondent's response were analyzed using OpenCode version 4.03 thematically. RESULTS: Four hundred seven study participants returned the questionnaire. Nearly 50 % (47.2%) health workers had of good medical documentation practice. Health workers who received in-service training on medical documentation AOR = 2.77(95% CI: [1.49,5.14]), good knowledge AOR = 2.28 (95% CI: [1.34,3.89]), favorable attitude AOR = 1.78 (95%CI: [1.06,2.97]), strong motivation AOR = 3.49 (95% CI: [2.10,5.80]), available guide line formats AOR = 3.12 (95% CI: [1.41,6.84]), eHealth literacy AOR = 1.73(95% CI: [1.02,2.96]), younger age AOR = 2.64 (95% CI:[1.27,5.46]) were statistically associated with medical documentation. CONCLUSION: More than half of the medical services provided were not registered. Therefore, it is important to put extra efforts to improve documentation practice by providing planed trainings on standards of documentation to all health workers, creating positive attitudes and enhancing their knowledge by motivating them to develop a culture of information.

Willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19 among health professionals in a low income country.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has prompted rapid restructuring of the health-care system in an effort to stop the spread of the pandemic. Thus, telemedicine is more preferable in order to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic when face to face meeting is forbidden, allowing provision of health service over a distance. This study aimed to assess willingness to use telemedicine and factors that will determine their extent of willingness during COIVID-19 among healthcare providers working in south west of Ethiopia. METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was applied to assess willingness to use telemedicine among healthcare providers working at public health hospitals in south west of Ethiopia. Self-administered questionnaires were used. We have used Epi-info for data entry and Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) for analysis. A structural equation modeling was performed to identify factors associated with willingness to use telemedicine at 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULT: In this study, less than half of respondents had high willingness to use telemedicine. Ease of use (ß = 0.79, 95% CI: [0.72, 0.86], p < 0.01), attitude (ß = 0.91, 95% CI: [0.87, 0.95], p < 0.01) and patient-physician relationships (ß = 0.67, 95% CI: [0.54, 0.70], p < 0.01) were variables associated with willingness to use telemedicine. Anxiety towards technology (ß = 0.74, 95% CI: [0.69, 0.79], p < 0.01) and patient-physician relationships (ß = 0.87, 95% CI: [0.81, 0.92], p < 0.01) were determinant factors of attitude to use telemedicine. CONCLUSIONS: The overall willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19 in this setting is 46.5%. Addressing the problem related with ease of use, attitude and patient-physician relationships will help to increase the overall willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19. An attempt to improving patient-physician relationship, provision of technical training for ease of use and working on healthcare providers' attitude will help to improve the willingness to use telemedicine.

Physicians' Attitude towards Electronic Medical Record Systems: An Input for Future Implementers.

BACKGROUND: Electronic medical record (EMR) systems offer the potential to improve health care quality by allowing physicians real-time access to patient healthcare information. The endorsement and usage of EMRs by physicians have a significant influence on other user groups in the healthcare system. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine physicians' attitudes regarding EMRs and identify the elements that may influence their attitudes. METHOD: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design supplemented with a qualitative study was conducted from March 1 to April 30, 2018, among a total of 403 physicians. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. The validity of the prediction bounds for the dependent variable and the validity of the confidence intervals and P values for the parameters were measured with a value of less than 0.05 and 95 percent of confidence interval. For the supplementary qualitative study, data were collected using semistructured in-depth interviews from 11 key informants, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULT: Physicians' computer literacy (CI: 0.264, 0.713; P: 0001) and computer access at work (CI: 0.141, 0.533, P: 0.001) were shown to be favorable predictors of their attitude towards EMR system adoption. Another conclusion from this study was the inverse relationship between physicians' prior EMR experience and their attitude about the system (CI: -0.517, -0.121; P: 0.002). CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, physicians' attitudes regarding EMR were found moderate in the studied region. There was a favorable relationship between computer ownership, computer literacy, lack of EMR experience, participation in EMR training, and attitude towards EMR. Improving the aforementioned elements is critical to improving physicians' attitudes regarding EMR.

Health Professionals' Readiness and Its Associated Factors to Implement Electronic Medical Record System in Four Selected Primary Hospitals in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Incorporating electronic medical record systems (EMRs) into the healthcare system is not only about modernizing the health system, but is about saving lives by facilitating communication and practicing evidence-based decision. Globally, more than 50% of EMR projects fail before they reach their target. Even though EMRs are an essential tool for health care, their adoption and utilization remains low in developing countries including Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine health professionals' readiness and associated factors toward the implementation of EMRs in four selected primary hospitals in Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutionbased cross-sectional study supplemented with a qualitative approach was conducted on 414 health professionals from March 2 to May 5, 2018 in four selected primary hospitals in Ethiopia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the quantitative data and in-depth interviews were employed for the qualitative data. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Descriptive statistics, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI was used to determine the association between the determinants and the outcome variable. RESULTS: More than half (258; 62.3%) of health professionals were ready to use the electronic medical recording system. EMR knowledge (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI: [1.62, 4.29]), attitude (AOR = 1.63; 95% CI: [1.01, 2.63]), computer literacy (AOR = 3.30; 95% CI: [2.05, 5.31]), and EMR training (AOR = 3.63, ;5% CI: [1.69, 5.80]) were significantly associated with EMR readiness. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: In general, the overall readiness of health professionals for EMR implementation was found to be low. Comprehensive packages of capacity-building are crucial to raise the level of knowledge, attitude, and computer skill among health workers.