Abstract:
Over the decades the management of healthcare has been an increasing burden on individuals as well as governments across the globe. Prior research has shown that chronic diseases account for 60 percent of all deaths worldwide. Besides the health consequences, long term costs associated with the treatment of chronic ailments and their negative effects on productivity are taking devastating tolls on the economic situations of individuals, families and countries. Consequently, research on improving the management of chronic diseases has been a top priority agenda for governments, researchers, and practitioners. This paper aims to contribute to this agenda by proposing that cloud computing can play a significant role in improving the management of chronic diseases.
The study used a descriptive approach with a questionnaire-based survey which was used to collect data from 10 hospitals in Nairobi and its environments. The target population was doctors and management staff of the hospitals. Purposeful sampling plan was deployed where a sample of 10 doctors and 10 management staff from each hospital were selected. Within each hospital random sampling of 10 participants from the doctor’s strata and 10 management staff was conducted. Relevant hypotheses were derived and tested by linear regression analysis.
The findings revealed that sharing of information using cloud computing has a significant effect on the access to healthcare in the management of chronic diseases. The research was conducted in 10 hospitals of Nairobi which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications– The findings offer healthcare providers, medics and healthcare professionals with a better understanding of what contribution information sharing using cloud computing brings to the improvement of access to healthcare and particularly the management of chronic diseases. The research contributes to the application of new technology cloud computing in the healthcare industry through the use of information sharing to improve access and quality of the management of chronic diseases. The findings also help Healthcare facilities consider their cloud computing technologies usage when aiming to improve access and quality of their disease management using cloud computing.
