Computer skills of health workers in rural Ghana and their use of social media: Implications for increased use of information technology in service delivery

BackgroundInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have improved the delivery of healthcare worldwide especially in disease control, patient management, and health data analysis. However, access to infrastructure like computers and knowledge of ICT is a major problem to various digital health initiatives among health professionals. ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was, to assess healthcare workers basic computer skills and use of social media and identify specific deficiencies that require training to help them function effectively. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among 51 healthcare workers in seven health centers in a region in Ghana over three months using a self-administered pre-tested questionnaire. ResultsHalf of the participants had adequate basic computer skills, of which 60.87% were women (P=0.0205). Only 15.69%, who were all males, of participants used computer software at least once a month. Most participants also used Facebook and WhatsApp. ConclusionHealth professionals in the health centers need to be trained on basic computer skills and, information technology should be incorporated into the health systems for efficient health delivery.