Issues and challenges of implementing mobile e-Healthcare systems in South Africa

Abstract

Mobile e-Healthcare implementation in South Africa has the potential to improve the delivery and access to healthcare services. However implementation of Mobile  e-Healthcare continues to face various challenges such as inadequate policy, lack of management support, poor infrastructure and concerns around security of  information, especially in the rural and remote areas. This study aims at identifying the issues and challenges of implementing Mobile e-Healthcare in South Africa and then develop a framework which healthcare facilities can use as a guide for  successful implementation of a Mobile e-Healthcare system. An exploratory study was conducted at the beginning of the study, followed by a literature study. A  questionnaire was then developed from findings of literature and exploratory study and used to conduct a survey among 200 healthcare professionals and managers in Limpopo Province. Permission and ethical clearance was obtained from Tshwane University Technology and Limpopo Healthcare Department. Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS was used to test the hypotheses. Lack of management  support was identified as the biggest challenge whereas, the Acceptance and Use readiness and its sub-components have the strongest ability to predict  preparedness to implement Mobile e-Healthcare. This study has developed and  validated a Framework for assessing a healthcare facility readiness to implement a Mobile e-Healthcare system which is the gap identified from literature. Policy and decision makers will be able to use the developed model as an important reference when a healthcare facility is implementing a Mobile e-Healthcare system

Keywords: Mobile, e-Healthcare, Readiness, Assessment, mHealth, and Issues and challenges