DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A MOBILE BASED MEDICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

1.1 Introduction

The Medical Information System is a general purpose computer-based information storage, retrieval, and analysis system. It is designed for a time sharing, on-line computer system for the rapid and easy creation, maintenance, and analysis of general data files. Medical Information System Services such as, the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans is known as healthcare. The issue of analysis the work load and time involved in a Hospital category and distributing the work load is time intervals. For maximum knowledge in pact it a great concern to the professorate in the field. This is where comprehensive medical duties schedule is always designed to suit the curriculum. Medical duties schedule does not only involved the all capture of time duties to medical personnel, it also involve the careful allocation other resources like labour force ad space available.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Over the years, the mobile phone subscription of developing countries has steadily increased compared to that in the developed countries. Statistics from the International Telecommunication Union (2007) suggested that there are now more mobile phone users in the developing world than in the developed world. From the above it can be seen that the rate of mobile penetration in Nigeria is very high which makes it a very good platform to use in disseminating of medical information. Reaching large population in remote areas was unthinkable in olden days, with mobile communications revolution sweeping across the globe, nearly 90 per cent of the world's population now has access to a mobile-phone signal, including 80 per cent of people in rural areas.

In ESUT Teaching Hospital, the hospital provide qualitative Health care services but maintains that they do not just heal mere physical illness which attacks the human body, but a much deeper and holistic healing of the entire human person. These service areas include all the wards (medical and surgical for male and female, pediatrics, chest unit and the maternity section as a whole. Other departments are out patient department (OPD), laboratory department, pharmacy department, central sterling and supply department (C.S.S.D), X-RAY department community medicine and the mobile clinic, and theatre department. The roles of these departments are complementary and depict what they call team-work in patient management, the patient always beings at the center.

The Hospital since its establishment has demonstrated a very keen interest in the staff recruitment and development of highly skilled and very dependable medical and paramedical personnel.

Health care systems are organizations established to meet the health needs of target populations. Their exact configuration varies from country to country. In some countries and jurisdictions, health care planning is distributed among market participants, whereas in others planning is made more centrally among governments or other coordinating bodies. In all cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a well-functioning health care system requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately-paid workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; and well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies. In a seminar report of an exploration by an expert committee, the institute of medical literature review did not reveal any substantive evidence of the strengths of paper records.

The challenges encountered that led to the execution of the research work is that, care providers waste precious time searching and browsing for unscheduled patient record to collect all information pertinent to the actual situation, Difficulty in accessing certain patient file location, the manual system of appointment scheduling of patient is usually stressful and may result to an incomplete daily scheduling of appointment with patients, and Inaccuracies in patient’s medical record keeping due to human errors.

It is against the background that the developments of this software to enable health workers schedule appointment meet-ups with patients, so the software users should not give false appointment information that is out of the software deeds. This research work is based on providing adequate information about medical records. At the end of this project, the research work, the software will be able to provide precise and concise patient records from the database.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed the challenges encountered that led to the execution of the research work include the following;

1. Care providers waste precious time searching and browsing for unscheduled medical patient record to collect all information pertinent to the actual situation,
2. Difficulty in accessing certain medical patient file location,
3. The manual system of medical information system has no proper accountability on the distribution of healthcare facilities, and
4. Inaccuracies in patient’s medical record keeping due to human errors.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to design an application that will eradicate the existing problems of the Mobile Based Medical Information System using ESUT Teaching Hospital as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were set out as follows to:

1. Develop a mobile-based application that will enable the care providers search and browse medical patient record without delay.
2. Store patient medical file record in a database that will enable care providers to be able to locate patient files in the health facility.
3. Reduce the time spent by staff filling out forms, freeing resources for more critical tasks.
4. Ensure data integrity and provide a database for future statistical and management reporting.

1.5 Significance of Study

This system when completed and implemented it will help provide adequate information about patient’s medical record and facilitates quick medical appointment scheduling. This project will be beneficial to individuals such as: pharmacist and doctors, nurses, care providers by providing accurate and complete information about patient’s medical record thereby saving patient time during medical checkup.

The result of this design will aid healthcare organizations enhance team work, collaboration and knowledge sharing among the employees through an integrated communication system. It will significantly reduce paperwork involved with submitting data, documents, reports etc. Besides, the study will serve as reference material for subsequent researcher in the field or related topics.

1.6 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the design and implementation of a Mobile Based Medical Information System. The study covers only the Medical Information System duties in ESUT Teaching Hospital.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

Medication:

A medication is a substance that is taken in to or placed on the body that does one of the following things: most medications are used to cure disease or condition. (For example, antibiotics are given to cure an infection. Medications are also given to treat a medical condition).

Prescription:

A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other qualified health care practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient.

Symptom:

A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is apparent to a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state or of a disease. (For example: tiredness, cough or fever).