5.6 INTERNET TRAINING
5.6.4 Interpretation and Discussion
Interpretation
This section looked at the types of Internet training already acquired and also the different types of training needed by medical professionals. The findings show that some medical professionals had acquired basic training on Internet exploration and how to use asearch engine to find information. The findings also revealed that further training will be
required on the use of the Internet and WWW and on the use of the Portal and Subject Guide. Finally, the respondents fully appreciated the potential usefulness of the Internet services to improve the activities of medical professions.
Discussion
Knowledge or know-how is necessary for the effective utilisation of Internet resources. According to Bunge (1996), the computerisation of the primary health information in Cameroon experienced many difficulties due to alack of qualified technicians to properly control the system. A similar situation was experienced in Mozambique in the study of the actual and potential usage of ICTs in the health sector. According to the researcher, lack of ICT skills, lack of education and poorly developed infrastructure and networks of support were identified as some of the problems that hinder the actual usage of ICTs (Braa 2001). In the present study, numerous suggestions were made, including the need for continuous medical education or development and the need for the provision of regular training in ICTs. Although lack of continuous medical education or development was identified, it is worth mentioning that it is beyond the scope of this research to discuss this aspect in any detail. CME is an educational and learning activity which serves to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance of healthcare providers, to ensure the provision of quality services to their patients (The Academy of Medicine of New Jersey 2002). However, it is worth noting that through the use of Internet, medical professionals can gain access to the necessary knowledge with a simple click on a few keys of their computer from their offices or homes.
Continuous medical education is essential as it enables medical professionals to keep abreast with the trend of activities in their profession. Continuous medical education is a major drawback on health manpower in the Africa continent as medical professionals are the most important assets of any healthcare system. Therefore, they need to continually apply skills and knowledge which require continuous learning and improvement. Pakenham-Walsh (2003) pointed out that without learning opportunities, medical professionals and healthcare providers will develop increasingly adecline skills and knowledge, professional dissatisfaction, low moral, disillusion, lack of commitment, and reduced interest in their work. With the advert of ICTs, CME could be acquired via the Internet. The use of ICTs, most particularly computers and Internet resources are very essential as they are able to mobilise resources for capacity building to improve health infrastructure and management.
In the hospitals surveyed, there is no department or services in-charge of CME. According to Ngufor (1999), CME and training is attained by attending conferences, workshops and seminars. The issues dealt with at conferences and
workshops are not specific. Thus, they have little influence on the field of specialisation. The present study revealed that since there is no standard process to disseminate information, the medical professionals who have the opportunity to attend conferences and/or workshops tend to retain the product and outcome for themselves. These are the words of one of the nurses explaining the need for training:
"...since Iobtained my nursing diploma, Ihave been working as anurse for more than25 years. I have not gone for any further training. The medical delegates tell us about new equipment and in the hospital new equipment are bought. We cannot use these equipment because we do know how to operate them. The fortunate ones are appointed by the director to go for training on the use of specific equipment in the hospital.
Unfortunately, information and skills obtained belong to them alone. Areport of activities is prepared and presented to the director and nothing is circulated or shared among the other colleagues" (Pisoh2002).
Regarding the availability and use of Internet resources from informal discussion with the directors and observation in the hospitals surveyed, it is evident that there are no Internet resources and/or facilities in the hospitals. However, those respondents needing access to the Internet would go to the private telecentres or cybercafes, or have their private Internet connection at their homes. Also, low usage was partly attributed to lack of training and skills. Thus, there is high demand for training on the use of Internet services and equipment by medical professionals.
Effective use of Internet resources requires adequate knowledge or skills to use the resources effectively. Lack of these elements (knowledge and training) have been emphasised in the literature as among the major causes of breakdown or inadequacies in the establishment and use of Internet and electronic information resources in Africa.
Through the use of Internet, medical professionals can in fact gain access to ICT skills and training from their office or home computers and at their convenience. Today, there are CD-ROMS that provide basic computing skills such as INFOLlT. INFOLlT is aJoint Information Literacy programme run by the Universities of Cape Town and Western Cape in South Africa. It is used to raise the knowledge and awareness on the use of the Internet. In South Africa, INFOLlT is used to teach undergraduate students how to use the Internet (Asah 2001 :14). Such a program could be installed on the health information central system in the government hospitals surveyed, for medical professionals to improve on their Internet knowledge. When the program is installed in the health information central system, medical staff will have multiple access.
From the data collected on the use of ICTs (computers and Internet resources) to improve the management of information, the respondents unanimously favoured the introduction of the Internet to supplement the current method in place (if any) to manage information in the hospitals surveyed. The suggestions put forward by respondents on the
application of ICTs in the management of health information are environmental or infrastructure-based. This portrays the state of information available to the medical professionals surveyed and confirms the fact that medical officials have not recognised the necessity and the importance of information as aprerequisite for the delivery of quality health care services. Providing basic ICT equipment in the hospitals surveyed and a service such as the Division of Information Management to oversee and to co-ordinate information in the hospital would lead towards proper management of information for medical professionals.