ABSTRACT

The important of appointment system in Premier Hospital, Uyo Local Government Akwa Ibom state. Premier Hospital was studied in order to ascertain its effect on the performance of staff and service delivery in the facility as a case study.  Staffs the factors that affect appointment system in this sector are that of use of untrained, inadequate, filling facilities such as filing cabinet, proper storage and preservation system. Hence the objective of the present study was to find out the extent of appointment system dissemination, storage and disposal and how these had affected the development and growth of the Hospital. Data collection was based on primary and secondary interviews. The population size was 221 (staffs) and the sample size was 50 (staffs). 50 questionnaires were administered with the 50 respondents. 52% of the respondents identified storage and preservation is the major challenge. 26% identified retrieval and dissemination and as the problem while 22% agreed that identification and classification is the problem. The study showed that record does not vary greatly from old methods. However, the use effective appointment system and processing affect hospital service delivery.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

We live in an information society. Information is our basic resource and information is our product. Record management is concerned with the management of information. Every sector needs information to function properly.

Penn et al (2000) defined Records management as the management as the management of any information captured in reproducible form that is required for conducting business. It can be further defined as scientific and systematic control of recorded information. The control of recorded information, the control of which is over its creation, maintenance, utilization, storage, retrieval and disposition (Kauter 2003)

According to Penn et al. (2000)“as government and business have expanded during the 20^th century, so has the need for information and appointment records management”.

Today, one of the greatest challenges facing us is how to effectively and economically control, preserve, access and utilize the ever expanding information resources. Record are significant to achievement of organizational objectives. In most health centers, An index to files kept in cabinets in usually prepared to serves an appointment information retrieval device. This facilitates the retrieval of files from the cabinets. However, the important of these records cannot be realized unless they are properly organized in a way that the storage and preservation allows for easy accessibility so as to carry out treatment timely and swiftly, the need to have a well-organized Appointment management system is essential.

The changing records media and the advent of electronic records-keeping further helps I appointment management. With viable appointment management in operation an organization can control the quality and quantity of information it creates, maintains it in a manner that effectively serves in needs of the patuent. Appointment management serves as official memory of an organization as it documents the first step of treatment which is consultation. It is also used for reference purpose and to determine the course of action in line with actions of the predecessors. That is why Williams (2001) postulates that records are those materials made or received by institutions in pursuance of legal obligation or in the conducts of functions and preserved as evidence because that is used.

Accurate appointment management is vital in any organization because the solution to any management problem requires the involvement of meticulous and accurate management of records. Not only are sophisticated records management principles and practices necessary in today’s information oriented society, they are also absolutely critical to its continued survival.

Government at all levels establish requirement for maintaining good appointment records at hospitals. Therefore all business transactions depend on the proper creation and maintenance of recorded information. Decisions in court cases have resulted in proper records disposal becoming an important factor in emergency operations. An organization today cannot ignore its records any more than it can ignore the working conditions of its employees or environmental concerns of the community in which is located in view of the above.

  1.2 Statement of the problem

Today, we operate in the information age, previously, people, and capital and property provided the competitive advantages. Today information has moved to the forefront as the fourth vital resource perhaps the most important one. Unlike people, capital and equipment, records cannot readily be created replaced or reconstructed except through years of effort. “Statistics show that approximately 30 per cent of an organization that suffer a catastrophic fire will cease to operate for one year because their vital information has been lost forever” (skupsky, 1989) records management is the professional discipline to control the creation, maintenance and disposition of information in the form of records.

Unfortunately, it seems that most organizations have not yet realized the relationship between appointment and the management of this information through anappointment management program. It appears they have not fully directed their attention towards the important of record management to address the issues of improper storage, delay in retrievals, loss and abstraction of records. Improper organization as well as untrained and inefficient record personnel. That is why the researcher embark on the research work. Hospital appointment records Management in Premier Hospital. Uyo Local Government of Akwa Ibom State.

  1.3 Research Questions

To enable the researcher carry out a successful study of the project, the following question are raised to guide the study.

1. How does the Hospital organize and maintain its record?
2. Does effective appointment system affect service delivery?

1.4 Purpose of the study

the main purpose of this work is to study the impact of effective appointment system in hospital; a case study of premier hospital, uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

1.5 Objectives of the Study

to identify the roles of appointment records management in the hospital

1. To identify the system of appointment records, maintain in the Hospital
2. To find out how the Hospital organizes and manages these records, and
3. the effect of effective appointment system on service delivery

1.6     Significance of the Study

Information is very crucial for the success of every organization therefore this work would act as an essential tool for revealing how records are managed in the Hospital. It will also act as reference material to student in the field of information. And to staff and students of the Teaching Hospital as well as other organizations who may like to borrow a leaf from the hospital’s records management system

  1.7 The scope of the study

The record is specifically intended to cover the appointment records management. It deals directly with roles of records management, different types of record, hoe records are organized and managed and records management system in the Hospital system

  1.8 The limitation of the study

Research of this nature cannot be successfully accomplished without some challenges. The major constraint to this work was time. The researcher was a student as well which made it difficult to carry out the work within time frame allocated.

1.9     Operational definition of terms

The keywords used in this project work are defined below:

1. Records Management: This is a logical approach to the creation, maintenance, use and disposition of records and the information that those records contain. It is management of any information captured in reproducible form that is required for conducting business.

1. Information: This is defined as any processed data (figure and fact) used in making decision. It is various processes used in communication of ideas. Feeling, perceptions, emotion, needs, a meaningful manner for better and wider decision making.

• Control: This involves the registration of new documents and the destruction of old ones, as well as numbering of files and pagination of folios. This is aimed at preventing documents from failing into wrong hands.

1. Storage: This is the means of keeping documents safe to forestall unforeseen circumstances such as fire, loss or damage.
2. Accessibility: This refer to the disclosure of documents to only authorized based on certain principles such as the need- to-know, need-to see, need-to-retain principles etc
3. Hospital: This is place where medical care is received as well as medical counselling such as family planning and the information are maintain for proper planning and decision making.