sues 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