Feelings of healthcare staff towards ICT in the western region of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) has in general become a worldwide tool in various contexts, including healthcare sector. Healthcare staff are change agents in healthcare sector. They are key drivers who play a crucial role in ICT integration in healthcare. The aim of this study is to examine feelings of healthcare staff towards ICT in western region of Sri Lanka. A sample of 100 healthcare staff was assessed for their feelings towards ICT using a Likert type questionnaire (Strongly Disagree (SD), disagree (D), Neutral (N), Agree (A), Strongly Agree (SA)). There were 60 female (60%) and 40 were male (40%) participants. Their average number of years of computer use was 8.73 years (SD=5.722). There were large amount of negative responses (SD - 52%, D - 45%) for reverse scoring questions. The percentage of positive responses for positive scoring questions were SA – 27%, A – 34% and N – 6%. Therefore, healthcare staff in the western region of Sri Lanka have positive feelings towards ICT. They have good feeling to work with computerized environment. This study clearly depict that feelings of healthcare staff towards ICT are not reverse strengthening for integration of ICT to the State hospitals in western region of Sri Lanka.