The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
The Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya.
BMC Nurs. 2013 Mar 2;12:6. doi: 10.1186/1472-6955-12-6.
To improve the quality of health care in remote parts of Pakistan, a research project was initiated in the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan using information and communication technology to improve patient care and support continuing education of health providers (eHealth). This paper describes the experience of nurses in using eHealth in their routine practices.
All health centres of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan using eHealth as part of this study, were taken as a single case. These include four primary healthcare centres, three secondary care centres and one medical centre. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guide to study nurses' perspective about using eHealth, and its perceived impact on their professional lives.
According to the respondents, eHealth enhanced access to care for remote communities, and improved quality of health services by providing opportunities for continuing learning. Nurses also appreciated eHealth for reducing their professional isolation, and providing exposure to new knowledge through teleconsultations and eLearning.The responses categorized under six major headings include: gaps in health services prior to eHealth; role of eHealth in addressing these gaps; benefits of eHealth; challenges in eHealth implementation; community's perception about eHealth; and future recommendations.
Low-cost and simple eHealth solutions have shown to benefit nurses, and the communities in the remote mountainous regions of Pakistan.
为了提高巴基斯坦偏远地区的医疗质量，一个研究项目在吉尔吉特-巴尔蒂斯坦的山区启动，利用信息和通信技术改善患者护理，并支持医疗服务提供者的继续教育（电子健康）。本文描述了护士在日常实践中使用电子健康的经验。
将吉尔吉特-巴尔蒂斯坦使用电子健康作为本研究一部分的所有卫生中心视为一个整体案例。这些中心包括四个初级保健中心、三个二级保健中心和一个医疗中心。使用半结构化访谈指南进行深入访谈，以研究护士对使用电子健康的看法及其对其职业生活的感知影响。
根据受访者的说法，电子健康通过提供继续教育机会，增强了对偏远社区的医疗服务可及性，并提高了医疗服务质量。护士还赞赏电子健康通过远程咨询和电子学习减少了他们的职业孤立，并提供了新知识的接触。这些回答分为六个主要类别：电子健康实施前的医疗服务差距；电子健康在解决这些差距中的作用；电子健康的益处；电子健康实施的挑战；社区对电子健康的看法；以及未来的建议。
低成本且简单的电子健康解决方案已被证明对巴基斯坦偏远山区的护士和社区有益。
