An Assessment of the San Juan Health Information System: A Basis for the Adoption of a City Appropriation Ordinance to Enhance the Health Information System

Abstract

Governments have become more and more interested in the growing power of Information and Communication Technology. The study aimed to identify the problems in the current Health Information System of San Juan and determine the effect of the new technology to its organization focusing on the people, structure, and task of the health personnel involved in the process of change. It covered the responses of 75 health personnel using a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire to gather relevant data on the current Health Information System. Although the existing Health Information System revealed the benefits the health sector are experiencing, there were lapses, challenges, and problems during the implementation that hampers the delivery of evidence-based health solutions. Integrating the Leavitt Model based on technology, people, structure, and task provided theoretical based on the assessment of the Health Information System. The implementation of the new technology revealed the slow pace of adoption of the new Health Information System due to limited manpower with majority of older health staff having difficulty dealing with the latest technology, inadequate computer literacy, insufficient computer and intermittent internet connectivity, lack of clearly defined roles and not well-disseminated objectives that had led to limited utilization of IClinicsys and affected the ability to carry the adoption of the new Health Information System effectively. There is a need for a City Appropriation Ordinance to provide budget allocation needed for the successful implementation of iClinicSys in the City Health Department for better and equitable access to quality health care services.