MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS’ INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION SKILL ASSOCIATED WITH PATIENTS' HEALTH RECORDS UTILISATION AMONG TERTIARY HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH- SOUTH, NIGERIA

Abstract

Information literacy skill is an aspect of information literacy that has been seen as a process of gaining the abilities that help in the establishment of an information literate person. The study investigated medical professionals’ information identification skills and utilisation of patients’ health records in tertiary health institutions in South-South, Nigeria. It employed the correlational research design, with a population of 8993 medical professionals. The sample size of 386 was established using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size table, and a simple random sampling technique was used. A face validated instrument, ‘Medical Professionals’ Information Identification Skills and Patients Health Records Utilisation Questionnaire (MPIISPHRUQ) was used for data collection. Simple regression was used in answering research questions. The result showed that there is a significant difference in the utilisation of patient health records and medical professional information literacy skills. Also, it was found that medical doctors, health information personnel, nurses and pharmacists do significantly use information literacy skills to a great extent in the tertiary health institutions. The study concluded that information identification skills significantly influence the utilisation of patients’ health records by medical professionals of tertiary health institutions. This has demonstrated the relevance of information literacy skills in the health sector, especially in the tertiary health institutions. With this, the possibility of medical professionals utilising patients’ health records that would enhance their research success is possible and can be a reality in south- South of Nigeria. Based on this conclusion, the following recommendation was made: those tertiary health institutions should incorporate information literacy skills in the health sector, especially teaching hospitals, so that they can use patient health records properly.