Development of an information management system in Oncology

Abstract

The study focused on developing an Information Management System (IMS) in Oncology to revolutionize the traditional way of management, stimulate Quality Performance, Service Quality, On-Time Delivery, and enhance Patient Satisfaction in the Oncology at Uganda Cancer Institute. IMS in oncology is herein defined as a web-based, and Mobile Application for overseeing the overall operation of the Oncology services. The study was conducted based on three objectives indicated on page 4 and data was collected during the month of December 2019 and February 2020 using techniques on page 25 from a sample of 70 respondents. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS. Primarily, seventy (70) questionnaires were used in the study and sixty (i.e., 85.71%) were fully completed and returned making the response rate to 85.71% of which 75% were Females while 25% were Males, and among the Hospital administrators, 12 (i.e., 60%) were Males and 8 (i.e. 40%) were Females. The research involved equal Age group response rate of 25% of the patient respondent. Among the patient respondents, 92.5% were not satisfied with the oncology services, the existing system was/is paper-based as it was supported by 52.5% of the respondents while 45% of the respondents selected Computer-based as being used in few selected UCI department (Pharmacy and Records and the remaining 2.5% decided not to answer. The results indicated that 77.5% and 75% of the respondents considered the existing system being very slow and using cash as payment mode respectively however the payment means is effective and efficient. The patients easily access the Oncological services once admitted however there is a great need of the E-Appointment and Consultancy as 72.5% of the respondents disagreed with the existence of E-Appointment and consultancy at the facility. These results are presented in forms of descriptive statistics, graphs and these eased the requirement analysis as illustrated from page 29 up to page 61. In conclusion therefore, a well-developed system with requirements stated from page 43 to page 46 and that ensures that the management and health facilities operations are centralized was developed in order to minimize the resource utilization, improve patient satisfaction and timely medical feedback and support. Keywords: TQM: Total Quality Management, Oncology, Patient Satisfaction, and Service Quality.