A case for effective electronic medical records culture in Nigeria
The relevance of electronic medical records in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. However, implementing a functional and effective EMR system requires a collaborative and multi-faceted approach that addresses legal, technological, cultural, and organisational issues. Periodic but regular communication and collaboration among stakeholders are essential for a successful implementation.
There should also be inclusiveness that allows all parts of the country to be involved during the national discourse and implementation phases. Nigeria should also develop a policy for the meaningful use of EMRs to enhance healthcare delivery, improve efficiency, quality, and safety, and ensure the proper management of health information and patient data. Here are some steps that can be considered to develop a policy for using
EMRs in Nigeria:
The first step is for government to evaluate its IT infrastructure for healthcare. There is a need to assess carefully the existing healthcare IT infrastructure in Nigeria, including the prevalence of EMR use, the level of technology adoption, digital literacy among healthcare providers, and the scope of any existing policies, guidelines, or regulations related to healthcare information technology.
To evaluate the current IT infrastructure in Nigeria, the following key points are worth considering: hardware and software, network infrastructure, interoperability, scalability and future readiness.
There are five yardsticks that could be used to measure the level of the country’s readiness and scalability. First is the population growth and healthcare demand. Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and increasing demand for healthcare services should be taken into cognizance when designing EMR policies. Accordingly, the scalability of the EMR system to accommodate a larger patient population, more healthcare providers, and expanded healthcare facilities should be thoroughly and continually assessed.
The second factor is technological advancements. A policy should be implemented to support operators of
EMRs to stay abreast of technological advancements in healthcare IT, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), and their potential impact on EMR systems. As part of a comprehensive predeployment evaluation, the scalability of the EMR infrastructure to leverage emerging technologies for improved data management, analytics, and patient care should be performed.
Thirdly, we must consider data volume and storage capacity. It is of considerable importance to evaluate the scalability of data storage infrastructure to accommodate increasing volumes of patient records, medical images, and other healthcare data over time. Appropriate scalable storage solutions should be considered, such as cloud-based storage or distributed storage architectures, to accommodate growing data requirements cost-effectively.
Also accessibility and mobility of the EMR. In light of Nigeria’s growing adoption of smartphones and other mobile devices for healthcare delivery, there is a need to evaluate the scalability of EMR systems to accommodate mobile access and telehealth services. EMR policies should, therefore, consider variations of user interfaces, connectivity needs, and scalability of mobile applications for remote healthcare delivery.
There must also be regulatory compliance and standards. It is highly advisable that EMR policies comply with regulatory requirements and standards for healthcare data management and privacy, such as the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and international standards like HL7 and DICOM.
Assessment should be made of the scalability of compliance mechanisms and data security protocols to adapt to evolving regulatory frameworks and best practices. Another factor for consideration is training and capacity building. Investment needs to be made in training programmes and capacity-building initiatives to ensure that healthcare providers and IT professionals have the skills and knowledge to support the scalability and future readiness of EMR systems. This includes the provision of ongoing skill-based and hands-on education and support to address emerging challenges and opportunities in healthcare IT.
By prioritising scalability and future readiness in EMR policies, Nigeria can build a robust healthcare IT infrastructure that can adapt to the country’s evolving healthcare needs and technological advancements.
In order to implement a successful EMR system, there must be stakeholder engagement: Key stakeholders such as government health agencies, nongovernmental health organizations, healthcare providers, IT professionals, regulatory bodies, patient advocacy groups, and other relevant entities should be involved in EMR pre- and postdeployment phases. Key stakeholders play
By prioritising scalability and future readiness in EMR policies, Nigeria can build a robust healthcare IT infrastructure that can adapt to the country’s evolving healthcare needs and technological advancements