The paper presents research findings and recommendations on the study of the phenomenon that, the healthcare service delivery in Lesotho is fragmented and therefore risky to the lives of patients. The research was conducted through interviews and focus group meeting discussions with participants (potential patients, healthcare professionals, and administrators). The results reveal that the challenges encountered by healthcare professionals during the provision of care are mainly caused by the non-sharing of medical records by healthcare facilities. Moreover, the medical records of patients are fragmented. Therefore, during the provision of care, the patient’s medical record is never complete, which increases the chances of medication errors by healthcare professionals. Consequently, the research recommends the design of a web-based, electronic Public Health Management Information System (PHMIS) that should be accessible by authorised, registered, public and private healthcare professionals. The design of a system should adopt technologies and techniques that support sharing of decentralised healthcare services nationwide, within the confines of the laws/policies of the Government of Lesotho. Furthermore, the paper recommends a future study to establish the extent to which Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to support the envisaged PHMIS by enhancing healthcare service delivery and medical research.
KeywordsHealthcare facilities; Healthcare professionals; Medical records; Electronic medical records; Health information system; Health systems fragmentation; Integration; Critical success factors; Healthcare services; Medical information
Published Date: 2023-07-21; Received Date: 2023-06-10
