Medical records management framework to support public healthcare services in Limpopo province of South Africa
| Pages | 187-203 |
| Published date | 16 July 2018 |
| Date | 16 July 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-10-2017-0030 |
| Author | Ngoako Solomon Marutha,Mpho Ngoepe |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Medical records management
framework to support public
healthcare services in Limpopo
province of South Africa
Ngoako Solomon Marutha and Mpho Ngoepe
Department of Information Science, University of South Africa,
Pretoria, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to develop a framework for the managementof medical records in support of
health-careservice delivery in the hospitals in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach –The study was predominantly quantitative and has used the
questionnaires,system analysis, document analysis andobservation to collect data in 40 hospitals of Limpopo
province. The sample of 49 per cent (306)records management officials were drawn out of 622 (100 per cent)
total population.The response rate was 71 per cent (217) out of the entire sample.
Findings –The study discovered that a framework for management of medical records in the public
hospitals is not in place because of several reasons and further demonstrates that public health-care
institutions need an integrativeframework for the proper management of medical recordsof all forms and in
all media.
Originality/value –The study develops and suggests a framework to embed medical records
management into the health-care service delivery workflow for effective records management and ease of
access. It is hoped thatsuch a framework will help hospitals in South Africa andelsewhere to improve their
medicalrecords management to support health-care serviceprovision.
Keywords Records management, Medical records, Public hospitals, Healthcare services,
Limpopo province of South Africa, Records management framework
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Records management is a critical factor in the successful achievement of many functions
such as health care (Katuu, 2015;Marutha,2011,2016;Marutha and Ngoepe, 2017), auditing
(Ngoepe, 2016;Ngoepe and Ngulube, 2016) and justice (Ngoepe and Makhubela, 2015;
Motsaathebe and Mnjama, 2009a) to mention just a few. For records management to be
implemented properly and to supportorganisational functions, it is highly dependent on the
model used to manage the records. In most instances, ineffective records management
models have many negative effects on the records (Yusuf and Chell, 2005, pp. 129-130).
These negative effects include, but are not limited to, poor and untimely recording of data,
misfiling, missing files, damaged records and unauthorised destruction of records, records
theft and other related perils (Makhura, 2005;Marutha, 2011, 2016), which can compromise
the quality of records and affect the support role of records in organisations. In the case of
medical records, if the records’quality is poor because of incomplete or duplicated data
recordings, the information collected will not reflect the true picture of the health-care
service rendered or required (Kristianson, et al, 2009). This can have serious consequences
Medical
records
management
187
Received20 October 2017
Revised20 October 2017
22November 2017
11December 2017
Accepted17 December 2017
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.28 No. 2, 2018
pp. 187-203
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-10-2017-0030
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
for the lives of citizens, as was evident in the case reported in the newspapers about the
Polokwane Hospital notbeing able to provide medical records for one of its chronic patients
suffering from cervical cancer (Maponya, 2013). The file was to be used for further
radiotherapy treatment by a private doctor, but, before he could do that, he needed the
medical records to obtaininformation about the patient’s medical history. Unfortunately, the
medical records, including X-ray films, could not be found and hospital officials’response
was that they were either missing or misfiled.That placed the doctor and the patient under
severe pressure and risk, as appropriate follow-up treatment and actions were not possible
without the medical historyof the patient.
As Ngoepe (2016) would attest, in the situation where proper records management
models are in place, records can assist organisations with the provision of reliable
information and thereby supportthe line function. The line function comprises the functions
discharged by the core business of the organisation. For instance, in the Department of
Health, the line function is health-careservices. While many organisations, including health-
care-based organisations, have developed records management models internationally, this
is not the case with public health-care institutions in South Africa. For example, the UK
Department of Education has developed a records management model for education
services called the Information Workplace Platform (IWP) and launched it in April 2008 to
provide secured collaborative services using SharePoint 2007. This also reduced the costs
and information technologycomplexity (Castillo-Soto and Baker, 2011, p. 205). IWP enables
access to the right information at the right time for decision-makingand provides access to
citizens (Castillo-Soto and Baker, 2011). In developing or improving a records management
programme and/or model, Ismail and Jamaludin(2009) recommended that the five elements
of trusted records management be considered. Although they focussed their study on
electronic records, these elements are applicable to all categories of records, in different
formats and media. The five elementsare as following:
(1) records management governance practice, which is about the legal and regulatory
infrastructure, policies, procedures, responsibilities and accountabilities related to
records management;
(2) the recordkeeping system, which is about the operations, functional requirements
and metadata requirements of records management;
(3) the records archival processes, which is about the appraisal, retention,
preservation strategies and storage management of records;
(4) recordkeeping technology, which is about the management of electronic records
systems and electronic system security; and
(5) records management staff capacity and competencies, which is about the ability of
staff to conduct records management and archives management, and their related
skills and competencies such as electronic systems development, information
system analysis and design and business and management skills.
Furthermore, quality, timely, trustworthy and reliable knowledge or information may be
produced through the use of proper recordsmanagement models, coupled with an effective
electronic records management system such as the enterprise content management (ECM)
system or the electronic health records (EHR) system (Harries, 2008;Kumar, 2011;Weeks,
2013). Sadly, as reported in studies in South Africa, such as those done by Katuu (2015),
Marutha (2011,2016)and Ngoepe (2016), many public organisations in SouthAfrica manage
records without using a framework. An ideal records management framework needs to
enable the organisation to effectively manage records throughout the life cycle –from
RMJ
28,2
188
To continue reading
Request your trial