Academic Journal of Nursing and Health Education Vol.10, No.3, 2021; ISSN (5733 – 7155); p –ISSN 4056 – 7396X Impact factor: 3.93 KNOWLEDGE AND UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AMONG NURSES AND MIDWIVES IN SECONDARY HEALTH CARE FACILITIES, KADUNA STATE 1Joseph Jonathan Gimba, 2Josiah Mercy, 3Lawal Yusuf Abolore, 4Dele-Alonge Olajumoke Ileola And 4Alake Olluwaseun Rolake 1RN, BNSC, PDE; Kaduna State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Kafanchan Campus, Nigeria; 2RN, RM; Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Memorial Hospital, Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria. 3RN, BNSC, PGDE, MPH; Nigerian Army College Of Nursing, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. 4RN, RM, RNT, BSC; School Of Nursing, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. RN, RM, RPN, BNSC; School Of Nursing, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Abstract: Background: In today’s world, no one questions the need to incorporate information technology (IT) into key clinical and administrative processes of healthcare delivery. Thus IT is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of complete overhauls of healthcare systems in developed and developing societies and its use in healthcare settings is no longer something that is good to have, but something that we need to have hence, the present study. Aim and objectives: The study is aimed at investigating Nurses and Midwives Knowledge and Utilization of IT across the secondary health care facilities in Kaduna state, Northwest, Nigeria. Other specific objectives includes: (1).To ascertain Knowledge of IT among respondents. (2).To assess the Attitude of Nurses and Midwives towards IT. (3).To determine Utilization of IT among respondents in the study setting. Method: A descriptive survey was used for the study. The study population were Nurses and Midwives that have been in the employ of Kaduna state government for not less than one year and are working in secondary facilities. A sample size of 399 Nurses and Midwives was used. Study respondents who met the inclusion criteria for the study were drawn proportionately from the three senatorial districts of the state using simple random sampling technique who were given self-structured questionnaire for their responses. Data entry was done using Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22 while hypotheses testing was done using chi-square at statistical significant level of .05. Findings: Findings revealed a mean score for age of 29.1±14.3. Respondents had adequate knowledge (Mean score = 74.2%) in 10 out of 16 Questionnaire items relating to knowledge of computers. Overall, majority (70.6 %, n=180)) of the respondents demonstrated adequate knowledge of computer by having a final score above the 70% cut off mark. Attitude of respondents was positive as majority reported to have had training in computer with many having their PC. Study results, however, showed inadequate (mean score 53.7%) utilization of computer among the respondents as more than half (59.6%, n=152) of the respondents had a final score less than the70% cut off mark. There was association between knowledge and utilization of computer and there is difference in the utilization of computer across senatorial districts. Conclusion: The study revealed that knowledge of computer, senatorial districts respectively associated with utilization of computer among respondents in the study setting. Keywords: Information Technology, Knowledge, Utilization, Nurses/Midwives, Kaduna state Academic Journal of Nursing and Health Education An official Publication of Center for International Research Development Double Blind Peer and Editorial Review International Referred Journal; Globally index Available www.cirdjournal.com/index.php/ajnhe/: E-mail: [email protected] pg. 10 Academic Journal of Nursing and Health Education Vol.10, No.3, 2021; ISSN (5733 – 7155); p –ISSN 4056 – 7396X Impact factor: 3.93 INTRODUCTION clinical and non-clinical use (Dery et al., 2016). Electronic The healthcare industry is increasingly facing many Health Record, which has been defined by the World changes in areas of emerging and re-emerging Health Organization as the cost-effective and secure use of communicable and Non Communicable diseases but more ICT in support of health and health-related fields, of what changes the way health care is provided is the including healthcare services, health surveillance, health current advances in information and communication literacy and health education, knowledge and research technology (Kipturgo, Kivuti-Bitok, Karani and Muiva, (USA Department of Health and Human Services, 2011) 2014). Presently, no one questions the need to incorporate holds the key to improving healthcare delivery (Dery et al., information technology into key clinical and 2016). administrative processes of healthcare delivery. There is a With the advocacy for evidence-based practice in clinical clear consensus on the need to introduce the Electronic areas, application of information technology in nursing Health Record (EHR) as the most important one game- becomes imperative because of its widespread use in changing project in healthcare settings. Thus information individual and family care settings. Knowledge and technology is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of application of information technology among nurses has complete overhauls of healthcare systems in developed and enhanced effective and efficient communication and developing societies and its use in healthcare settings is no documentation of nursing roles using nursing standardized longer something that is good to have, but something that terminologies of NNN (NANDA, NIC and NOC) which we need to have. have been identified to provide adequate information about Information Technology (IT) is often used as a shortened patients in the hospital EHRs (Lumberg, Warren, Brokel, synonym for Information and Communication Technology Bulechek, Butcher, McCloskey et al., 2008). Similarly, (ICT). It comprises of computing technology, the Internet Many nursing care themes are influenced by the use of and other accessories which enable users to access, store, ICTs, including time management, time spent on patient transmit, and manipulate information (Adeleke et al., care, documentation time, information quality and access, 2014). Computers are among the many facets of quality of documentation, knowledge updating and information and communication technology that have utilization, nurse autonomy, nurses’ competencies and rendered the wide world healthcare delivery a village skills, nurse-patient relationships as well as assessment, (Bond, 2013; Kipturgo et al., 2014). Use of computers in care planning, and evaluation (Rouleau et al., 2017). This healthcare settings provides opportunities for individuals, extent of utilization of ICT is particularly important in medical professionals and healthcare providers to obtain secondary health care facilities which has the main information on different aspects of diseases, communicate strategies of increasing health coverage and improving the with other healthcare professionals and patients via health status of the many referred patients and clients from videoconferencing, offer access to Medline, Primary Health Care centers. medical/nursing journals, textbooks and the latest Whereas the use of ICT for healthcare delivery in the information on breakthroughs in health (Gour & developed countries has been widely explored with most Srivastava, 2010 cited in Dery et al., 2016). Technology developed countries making great advances (Howitt et al., enabled healthcare settings allow healthcare providers to 2012), developing countries on the other hand are seeing a deliver better healthcare at lower cost and also contribute proliferation of eHealth pilots but few full scale to quality health services. These systems collectively drive implementations (Lewis et al., 2014) largely due to eHealth and provide lifesaving data and information for Academic Journal of Nursing and Health Education An official Publication of Center for International Research Development Double Blind Peer and Editorial Review International Referred Journal; Globally index Available www.cirdjournal.com/index.php/ajnhe/: E-mail: [email protected] pg. 11 Academic Journal of Nursing and Health Education Vol.10, No.3, 2021; ISSN (5733 – 7155); p –ISSN 4056 – 7396X Impact factor: 3.93 inadequate skilled personnel to manage these eHealth that participants in their study are considerably projects (Yusif & Soar, 2014). knowledgeable and skilled especially in the use of Several studies conducted in the southern part of Nigeria electronic mail (52%) and the Internet (47%) mostly have revealed knowledge and utilization pattern of through self-efforts which saw majority of respondents Information and Communication technology among reported to have used computer (94%) and the Internet nurses. These include a study that reported utilization of (95%) for more than three years. The study notes that desktop computer, ICT enabled television, and laptop major factors that contributed to the way the healthcare computer and smart phone for patients care among nurses professionals utilized computer and the internet were with greater percentage of the nurses making use of profession, age, sex and possession of a laptop computer desktop computer for keeping record of disease (p =.000). However, of all the health professionals studied, surveillance and smart phones for patients care follow-up, nurses had the least IT knowledge. emergence response system, and patient’s appointment Various obstacles have been associated with the uptake