Designing a records management system for Mukwaya Wellness and Community Health Centre
Abstract
The aim of this project was to a design Records Management System for Mukwaya Wellness and Community Health Centre. The specific objectives of this project were to identify the various types of medical records managed at Mukwaya Community wellness and Health Centre, establish how the medical records are managed at the Mukwaya Community Wellness and Health Centre, identify the challenges faced in the management of medical records at Mukwaya wellness and Community Health Centre, and design a records management system for management of records at Mukwaya Wellness and Community Health Centre. A mixed methods research study was used to conduct the study and data was collected using questionnaire, interviews, document review and observation check lists from the selected staff and patients of Mukwaya Health Centre. The study established that in addition to medical record, there are many other related types of records managed at Mukwaya Centre and these include Laboratory reports, Gynaecology discharge reports, in patient records and Death reports and many others which are on a daily basis. All records past and present are hand written, filed in box files and then put in cabinets for later retrieval. There are challenges faced by the Mukwaya Health Centre in regard to records management since they are managed manually. The most vital challenge is misplacement of the patient’s information from time to time, and getting worn out. Therefore, a new functional records management system in Mukwaya Community Wellness and Health Centre as inevitable. The study showed that once a medical records system is implemented, Mukwaya Community Wellness and Health Centre would be able to have several benefits both for the organization and users. Designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records is therefore considered the most efficient way of enhancing the medical records management system of an organization.