Original Research Article
Demographic characteristics influence on use of internet among clinicians as a resource for essential health care provision in tier 3 public hospitals of Kiambu County: A cross-sectional study
Lillian Wambui Kaburi*1 and Wanja Mwaura-Tenambergen1
1Kenya Methodist University, Department of Health Systems Management, P. O. Box 45240-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
*Corresponding Author Email: wambuikaburi(at)gmail.com
Lillian Wambui Kaburi |
Wanja Mwaura-Tenambergen |
Article Number: irjpeh.22.016 | Pages: 125-135 | Vol. 9 (5), December 2022 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.15739/irjpeh.22.016
Received: October 26, 2020 Accepted: November 23, 2022 Published: December 5, 2022
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the use of internet among clinicians in tier 3 hospitals of Kiambu-Kenya seeking to analyze the relationship between demographic characteristics of the clinicians, their knowledge on internet use and their extent of using internet for health information. A cross sectional design was used. Data was collected from a sample of 103 respondents selected through stratified proportionate sampling working in tier 3 public hospitals. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire whose responses were analyzed using SPSS V21 and information presented in form of tables, charts, graphs, descriptive and inferential statistics. The respondents were equally distributed 50% male and 50% female, 69% being between the age of 25 and 45 years and majority 98% having university and college education. Most of the respondents lived in urban areas (80%) though from the analysis there was no significant difference in terms of place of residence and internet use. The study found out that majority (62%) of the respondents access health information from the internet on a daily basis. There were challenges cited in this endeavor however, namely, cost of internet; lack of enough time to access health information through the internet due to workload; no access to internet; lack of skills or training and having difficulties to search for health information using internet in different magnitudes respectively. Further inferences showed that there was no significant influence between demographic characteristics and use of internet. In this regard the study recommends continued sensitization on the importance of internet use for healthcare provision among clinicians to improve on the uptake levels of internet health information and information seeking behavior for effective and efficient patient management.
Keywords:
Internet use, Health information, demographic characteristics, clinicians
How to Cite this Article
Kaburi LW Mwaura-Tenambergen W (2022). Demographic characteristics influence on use of internet among clinicians as a resource for essential health care provision in tier 3 public hospitals of Kiambu County: A cross-sectional study. Int. Res. J. Pub. Environ. Health 9(5):125-135.
© 2022 The authors.
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