Design and implementation of a records retention and disposition schedule at Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University

Abstract

Organisations create/receive and keep different records in the process of executing their duties. However very few organisations take interest in the regulation and monitoring of the quantity and the quality of the records they keep and how they are disposed of. This has led to the premature destruction of still valuable records, keeping large amount of records most of which already lost their value, misusing of the limited space for the storage of the records, time wastage that is experienced during the retrieval of the records because of their huge amounts and incurring of high costs on management of records most of which had already lost their value. This Study therefore intended to find out the types of records that are received and kept at infectious diseases institute, to establish the relationship between the use of a records retention schedule and the costs incurred in management of the organisational records, to find out the challenges that are associated with the absence of a records retention and disposition schedule at IDI and to design a comprehensive records retention and disposition schedule for the organisation.

The researchers used interviews and questionnaires to collect information from the respondents. This enabled them to analyse and understand the challenges faced by the organisation as far as records retention and disposition schedule is concerned which guided them in designing and developing a suitable records retention and disposition schedule.

The study established that IDI doesn’t have a records retention and disposition schedule which has greatly affected the operation of the records activities with its associated disadvantages like premature loss/destruction of records, keeping of records which already lost their value, misusing of the limited space for the storage of records, difficulty in retrieval of records and high costs incurred in management of huge volume of records. Therefore, the study established the main challenges faced by IDI as far as records retention and disposition is concerned and designed a suitable records retention and disposition schedule to address the above challenges.