Mental Health Professionals’ Perspectives On Electronic Patient Record At The Accra Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

Patient records at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital have been stored in paper folders for several decades now and have recently had many challenges due to the increasing number of patients and limited storage space for these paper folders. The main objective of the study was to explore the perspectives of mental health professionals on Electronic Patient Record (EPR). The study adopted a qualitative research design with face to face interviews as the main research instrument. Fifteen participants were involved in the study. Thematic content analysis was used for the data analysis. The study revealed that mental health professionals have knowledge of EPR through their awareness of the concept, understanding of the concept, the content of their knowledge on EPR, their experiences with EPR as well as their attitude towards EPR. It was discovered that enhanced productivity and easy access to information among others were perceived as benefits of EPR in mental health delivery. The study further found that funding, internet connectivity, resistance to change and unstable power supply could be critical hindrances to the use of EPR. In conclusion, participants weighed the benefits of implementing EPR at Accra Psychiatric Hospital over the barriers and were optimistic of the benefits. It is therefore recommended that EPR should be adopted and there should be intense training for mental health professionals prior to EPR implementation, improved internet connection and an alternative source of electricity should be made available.