Archival legislation is a crucial tool for the public sector to ensure the management, preservation and access of a country’s national documentary heritage. In Mozambique, archival legislation has been enacted which sets the scene for records appraisal and disposition, as well as classification schemes and retention schedules for administrative records of governmental bodies falling under the auspices of the Act. As a result, public agencies in Mozambique are required by the archival legislation to adopt a systematic and organized approach to the management of their records from creation to disposal. Despite this, the records management processes of many public entities in Mozambique have remained ineffective and inefficient. This study utilized the record life cycle concept as a framework to assess the state of implementation of the National Archives and Records Management Act at Eduardo Mondlane University (EMU) in Mozambique. The study applied a quantitative research approach with triangulation of data collection tools, namely, questionnaire and document analysis. The study revealed that EMU has only established one central records appraisal and disposal committee for its directorate units, which has not coped with the records management demands from other academic units such as faculties, schools and research centers. In most of the academic units the records management staff were not involved in the training, records appraisal and disposal processes, as well as in the destruction and/or transfer of records to the Mozambique Historical Archives (MHA), as required by legislation. The study concludes that most EMU units do not comply with archival legislation resulting in few provisions of the Act being implemented. The study therefore recommends that the records management function at EMU should put in place the basic procedures of control for records management systems with the leadership taking a proative role in the strategic planning, budgeting and monitoring. A further empirical study on the assessment of the state of implementation of the National Archives and Records Management Act throughout the entire public sector in Mozambique is recommended. / Information Science / M. Inf. (Archival Science)

This study investigated the use and management of electronic mail (email) in Zimbabwe’s central government. Employing a mixed method research approach, the study used a pluralist ontological paradigm and a pragmatic epistemological paradigm within the convergent mixed methods research design. Quantitative responses from questionnaires were corroborated by qualitative findings from semi-structured interviews, personal observation and document reviews. The study was restricted to Zimbabwe’s central government, focusing on head offices of 22 government ministries situated in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare. The population of the study was 670. The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown imposed in Zimbabwe as from 30 March 2020 negatively affected data collection as some targeted respondents could not be accessed as the researcher had initially planned, leading to an overall response rate of 37.3%. Nonetheless, 12 out of 22 government ministries participated in the study. Quantitative data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2010® and descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analysed thematically using Atlas.ti®. The study conformed to ethical standards of research as espoused in the University of South Africa’s ethical review guidelines. The study revealed that due to the adoption of electronic government and the inherent relative advantages of email, among other factors, there was increase in use of email as an official record in Zimbabwe’s central government. Nonetheless, management of email was still in its nascent stages and was largely poorly articulated. Poor email classification, filing, appraisal, security, preservation and disposal were largely traceable to deficiencies in legal, policy and procedural frameworks as well as skills and information and communication technology infrastructural challenges. These in turn triggered email retrieval, access, preservation and authenticity challenges. This study was a first local research to address both the use and management of email in a single study and one which proposed a framework for the effective use and management of email where a call was made to match increase in use of email with increase in professional management of the same. The proposed framework may go a long way in influencing proper and professional use and management of email in Zimbabwe’s central government and similar organisations. / Information Science / D. Phil. (Information Science)

An effective records management programme is a major element of the governance of any organisation. However, despite this crucial role played by records management, there is a consensus amongst researchers that many organisations, including government departments, pay little attention to the management of records. In South Africa, government departments are under legislative obligations to adopt a systematic and organised approach to the management of records. For example, the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No. 43 of 1996) requires government departments to develop, implement and maintain proper records management systems. The purpose of this study was to explore records management trends in the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) to establish if the Department was managing records according to legislative requirements. Data was collected through online questionnaires, physical observation and interviews with selected DPLG employees and analysed through an open source software. The key findings of the study revealed that an enormous benefit for the implementation of a records management programme is the commitment and support of top management. The study recommended that records management should be included in the performance contracts of all employees in the DPLG. The study concluded that a records management programme will only function effectively if it is developed as part of the strategic objective of the organisation. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Sxcience)

An effective records management programme is a major element of the governance of any organisation. However, despite this crucial role played by records management, there is a consensus amongst researchers that many organisations, including government departments, pay little attention to the management of records. In South Africa, government departments are under legislative obligations to adopt a systematic and organised approach to the management of records. For example, the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No. 43 of 1996) requires government departments to develop, implement and maintain proper records management systems. The purpose of this study was to explore records management trends in the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) to establish if the Department was managing records according to legislative requirements. Data was collected through online questionnaires, physical observation and interviews with selected DPLG employees and analysed through an open source software. The key findings of the study revealed that an enormous benefit for the implementation of a records management programme is the commitment and support of top management. The study recommended that records management should be included in the performance contracts of all employees in the DPLG. The study concluded that a records management programme will only function effectively if it is developed as part of the strategic objective of the organisation. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Sxcience)

Proper records management plays a significant role in the auditing process, risk management and wider corporate governance. Despite this role, in South Africa, many governmental bodies are issued with disclaimer reports every year by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) due to a lack of supporting documentation. This problem is exacerbated by the exclusion of records management from the criteria for a sound financial management infrastructure in many governmental bodies. The other dilemma is that some records such as financial records, personnel records and electronic records usually fall outside the jurisdiction of the organisation’s records manager. Utilising the King Report III as a framework, this study sought to develop a framework to embed records management practices into the auditing process in the public sector of South Africa, with a view to entrench a culture of clean audits. The study relied on mixed methods research (MMR), with the quantitative study conducted first through informetrics analysis of audit reports, while the qualitative paradigm was used to substantiate numerical data. Data collection adopted a multi-approach with four key sources of data: a questionnaire, interviews, literature review and publicly available data from the consolidated general reports of AGSA. The study revealed that most governmental bodies have established internal audit units, audit committees and records management units, which did not work in unison. In most governmental bodies records management did not form part of the audit scope and records management professionals were not part of the audit committees. As a result, most governmental bodies continued to receive negative audit opinions from AGSA. The study recommends that records management community should utilise auditing and risk management as a springboard to propel records management to the new heights. A further empirical study on the role of auditing and risk management in records management that embraces both the private and public sectors is recommended. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

A importância dos serviços de assistência odontológica prestada pela Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de São Paulo reflete nos dados obtidos do Anuário Estatístico da Universidade de São Paulo. Somente na disciplina de Cirurgia, foram realizados 1075 atendimentos cirúrgicos, no ano de 2000 saltando para 5686 em 2007. A cada paciente gera-se um prontuário que contém informações de cunho pessoal, da história médica, odontológicas, e de imagens que lhe atribui alto valor legal e de pesquisa. Com a alta procura pelos serviços oferecidos pela faculdade, o número de documentos gerados por paciente cresce proporcionalmente e constata-se que o arquivamento dos prontuários de toda a faculdade é frágil e sujeito à ocorrência de eventos que poderiam danificar o material. A morosidade na busca por dados dos pacientes, a perda de informações, e a dificuldade em realizar estudos epidemiológicos levaram à motivação para o desenvolvimento e avaliação de um prontuário virtual e seu respectivo Banco de Dados da disciplina de Cirurgia da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de São Paulo. Um modelo de ficha para transcrição eletrônica, com os mesmos itens da ficha clínico-cirúrgica, foi elaborado e utilizado para a transcrição das informações dos pacientes atendidos no ambulatório de Cirurgia, no curso noturno, no ano de 2008. Um protótipo de prontuário virtual foi desenvolvido e os dados coletados de 417 pacientes foram inseridos e armazenados localmente num Banco de Dados desenvolvido para WEB, visando uma nova forma de acesso à informação. A partir dos testes de uso retrospectivo e prospectivo, concluímos que o protótipo do prontuário virtual representa uma importante ferramenta baseada em tecnologias de informação, de uso epidemiológico, de pesquisa e de avaliação dos requisitos necessários para o desenvolvimento de um prontuário virtual com mais robustez e flexibilidade. / The importance of the dental aid services offered by the School of Dentistry of the University of São Paulo reflects on the data from the Statistical Yearbook of the University of São Paulo. In the discipline of Oral Surgery by itself, 1075 surgical appointments were done in 2000, which has increased greatly to 5686 in 2007. To every new patient admitted by the service, a record file is created and contains personal information, health and dental history, and images, thus setting a high legal and research value on the patient record file for the institution. With the high demand for these dental services, the number of documents by patient proportionally augments and it can be seen in the entire institution fragility of the files archiving and risk of events occurrence that could damage the material. The slowness of retrieving patient data, lack of information, and difficulties motivate the development and evaluation of an electronic health record and its respective database in the discipline of Oral Surgery of the School of Dentistry of the University of São Paulo. A sheet form for electronic transcription, with the same content of the surgical-clinical questionnaire form, was elaborated to transcript the health information of the patients admitted at the Oral Surgery Service, in the nocturnal graduation course during 2008. A prototype of an electronic health record was created and the collected data were processed and stored in a web-based local database, aiming to an innovative access mode to information. By the tests of retrospective and prospective use of the electronic health record, we concluded the prototype of the electronic health record represents an important tool based in technologies of information, useful to epidemiology, research and evaluation of required features to development of an electronic health record more robust and flexible.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Os Sistemas de Registro Eletrônico em Saúde (S-RES) permitem manipular e analisar um grande volume de dados e informações de saúde. O desenvolvimento, disponibilização e uso de funcionalidades para S-RES pode beneficiar tanto os profissionais de saúde como os pacientes. Estes sistemas devem ser próprios para o contexto onde serão utilizados, podendo estar voltados a diferentes áreas da saúde, assim como para diferentes níveis de atenção à saúde. Para o usuário final, a adequação do S-RES é avaliada pela qualidade em uso que resulta, principalmente, da funcionalidade, confiabilidade, usabilidade e eficiência do sistema. O termo funcionalidade designa o aspecto do sistema computacional que retrata as funções necessárias para a resolução de problemas dentro de um determinado contexto de uso. A funcionalidade se refere àquilo que um programa faz e, no caso de software interativo, o que ele deve oferecer para seus usuários. Frente a este contexto, a presente dissertação se propõe a identificar, através da literatura e de documentos de referência sobre o tema, as funcionalidades para os S-RES com potencial de apoiar os profissionais de saúde na prestação do cuidado ao paciente na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Nenhuma das listas de funcionalidades existentes na literatura é específica para S-RES para APS. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura nas principais bases de dados da área da saúde. Para a extração das funcionalidades, foram selecionados os documentos mais relevantes e que eram referência para os demais materiais consultados. As funcionalidades apresentadas pelos documentos foram compiladas e formatadas em uma planilha eletrônica de maneira que pudessem ser utilizadas para seleção de funcionalidades para um S-RES para APS. As funcionalidades identificadas foram categorizadas e agrupadas por similaridade de aplicação em sete categorias relacionadas ao contexto de trabalho na APS. Três documentos foram utilizados para a seleção das funcionalidades. A análise das funcionalidades identificadas evidenciou a predominância de funcionalidades relacionadas a aspectos clínicos da prestação do cuidado dos pacientes. De um total de 145 funcionalidades, 91 (62,8%) foram classificadas como de “manejo clínico do paciente”, grande parte dessas voltadas para o diagnóstico e tratamento clínico, como também para o apoio à decisão clínica. O conjunto de funcionalidades relacionadas à “prevenção” e às classificadas como de “educação em saúde e comunicação com o paciente” representaram juntas apenas 20% do total, com respectivamente 11,7% e 8,3% do total de funcionalidades identificadas. Importantes funcionalidades para S-RES de APS que consideram as perspectivas e preferências do paciente e de sua família em relação à saúde, e ainda, o relacionamentos entre os sujeitos, foram classificadas como “aspectos subjetivos e familiares” e representaram 4,8% do total de funcionalidades de APS. Por fim, é possível reconhecer que a maioria das funcionalidades para S-RES adequadas ao contexto da APS está direcionada ao manejo clínico dos pacientes. São poucas as funcionalidades que contemplam as demais dimensões do trabalho em APS e que favorecem uma compreensão da pessoa de modo integral. / Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems allow to manipulate and analyze large volumes of data and health information. The development , availability and use of features for EHR systems can benefit both health professionals and patients. These systems shall be suitable to the context where they will be used, or can be directed to different areas of health, as well as different levels of health care. For the end user, the adequacy of the EHR systems is evaluated for quality in use which results mainly from the: functionality, reliability, usability and system efficiency. Functionality refers to the aspect of the computer system that represents the functions required to solve problems within a specified context of use. Functionality refers to what a program does and, in the case of interactive software, what it must offer to its users. Facing this context, this thesis aims to identify, through literature and reference documents on the subject, the functionality for the EHR systems with the potential to support health professionals in the provision of patient care in Primary health Care (PHC). None of functionalities lists existing in the literature is specific to EHR systems for PHC. A literature review was conducted in the main bases of health care data. For the extraction of functionalities, the most relevant documents were selected and they were reference for other found materials. The functionalities presented by the documents were compiled and formatted in a electronic spreadsheet. So it could be used for selection of functionalities for an EHR systems for PHC. The identified functionalities were categorized and grouped by similarity application in seven categories related to the work context in PHC. Three documents were used for selection of functionalities. The analysis of the identified functionalities showed the predominance of functionalities related to clinical aspects of the provision of patient care. The total of 145 functionalities, 91 (62.8%) were classified as "clinical management of patients", most of these focused on the diagnosis and treatment, but also to clinical decision support. The group of functionalities related to "prevention" and classified as "health education and communication with the patient" together accounted for only 20% of the total, respectively 11.7% and 8.3% of the identified functionalities. Important functionalities to EHR systems for Primary Healh Care which regard the perspectives and preferences of patients and their families in relation to health, and also the relationships between the subjects were classified as "subjective and family aspects" and represented 4.8% of total PHC functionalities. Finally, it is possible to recognize that most of the appropriate EHR systems functionalities to the context of Primary Health Care is directed to the clinical management of patients. There are few functionalities that contemplate other dimensions of Primary Health Care work and support a comprehension of the person as a whole.

Os Sistemas de Registro Eletrônico em Saúde (S-RES) permitem manipular e analisar um grande volume de dados e informações de saúde. O desenvolvimento, disponibilização e uso de funcionalidades para S-RES pode beneficiar tanto os profissionais de saúde como os pacientes. Estes sistemas devem ser próprios para o contexto onde serão utilizados, podendo estar voltados a diferentes áreas da saúde, assim como para diferentes níveis de atenção à saúde. Para o usuário final, a adequação do S-RES é avaliada pela qualidade em uso que resulta, principalmente, da funcionalidade, confiabilidade, usabilidade e eficiência do sistema. O termo funcionalidade designa o aspecto do sistema computacional que retrata as funções necessárias para a resolução de problemas dentro de um determinado contexto de uso. A funcionalidade se refere àquilo que um programa faz e, no caso de software interativo, o que ele deve oferecer para seus usuários. Frente a este contexto, a presente dissertação se propõe a identificar, através da literatura e de documentos de referência sobre o tema, as funcionalidades para os S-RES com potencial de apoiar os profissionais de saúde na prestação do cuidado ao paciente na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Nenhuma das listas de funcionalidades existentes na literatura é específica para S-RES para APS. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura nas principais bases de dados da área da saúde. Para a extração das funcionalidades, foram selecionados os documentos mais relevantes e que eram referência para os demais materiais consultados. As funcionalidades apresentadas pelos documentos foram compiladas e formatadas em uma planilha eletrônica de maneira que pudessem ser utilizadas para seleção de funcionalidades para um S-RES para APS. As funcionalidades identificadas foram categorizadas e agrupadas por similaridade de aplicação em sete categorias relacionadas ao contexto de trabalho na APS. Três documentos foram utilizados para a seleção das funcionalidades. A análise das funcionalidades identificadas evidenciou a predominância de funcionalidades relacionadas a aspectos clínicos da prestação do cuidado dos pacientes. De um total de 145 funcionalidades, 91 (62,8%) foram classificadas como de “manejo clínico do paciente”, grande parte dessas voltadas para o diagnóstico e tratamento clínico, como também para o apoio à decisão clínica. O conjunto de funcionalidades relacionadas à “prevenção” e às classificadas como de “educação em saúde e comunicação com o paciente” representaram juntas apenas 20% do total, com respectivamente 11,7% e 8,3% do total de funcionalidades identificadas. Importantes funcionalidades para S-RES de APS que consideram as perspectivas e preferências do paciente e de sua família em relação à saúde, e ainda, o relacionamentos entre os sujeitos, foram classificadas como “aspectos subjetivos e familiares” e representaram 4,8% do total de funcionalidades de APS. Por fim, é possível reconhecer que a maioria das funcionalidades para S-RES adequadas ao contexto da APS está direcionada ao manejo clínico dos pacientes. São poucas as funcionalidades que contemplam as demais dimensões do trabalho em APS e que favorecem uma compreensão da pessoa de modo integral. / Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems allow to manipulate and analyze large volumes of data and health information. The development , availability and use of features for EHR systems can benefit both health professionals and patients. These systems shall be suitable to the context where they will be used, or can be directed to different areas of health, as well as different levels of health care. For the end user, the adequacy of the EHR systems is evaluated for quality in use which results mainly from the: functionality, reliability, usability and system efficiency. Functionality refers to the aspect of the computer system that represents the functions required to solve problems within a specified context of use. Functionality refers to what a program does and, in the case of interactive software, what it must offer to its users. Facing this context, this thesis aims to identify, through literature and reference documents on the subject, the functionality for the EHR systems with the potential to support health professionals in the provision of patient care in Primary health Care (PHC). None of functionalities lists existing in the literature is specific to EHR systems for PHC. A literature review was conducted in the main bases of health care data. For the extraction of functionalities, the most relevant documents were selected and they were reference for other found materials. The functionalities presented by the documents were compiled and formatted in a electronic spreadsheet. So it could be used for selection of functionalities for an EHR systems for PHC. The identified functionalities were categorized and grouped by similarity application in seven categories related to the work context in PHC. Three documents were used for selection of functionalities. The analysis of the identified functionalities showed the predominance of functionalities related to clinical aspects of the provision of patient care. The total of 145 functionalities, 91 (62.8%) were classified as "clinical management of patients", most of these focused on the diagnosis and treatment, but also to clinical decision support. The group of functionalities related to "prevention" and classified as "health education and communication with the patient" together accounted for only 20% of the total, respectively 11.7% and 8.3% of the identified functionalities. Important functionalities to EHR systems for Primary Healh Care which regard the perspectives and preferences of patients and their families in relation to health, and also the relationships between the subjects were classified as "subjective and family aspects" and represented 4.8% of total PHC functionalities. Finally, it is possible to recognize that most of the appropriate EHR systems functionalities to the context of Primary Health Care is directed to the clinical management of patients. There are few functionalities that contemplate other dimensions of Primary Health Care work and support a comprehension of the person as a whole.

Os Sistemas de Registro Eletrônico em Saúde (S-RES) permitem manipular e analisar um grande volume de dados e informações de saúde. O desenvolvimento, disponibilização e uso de funcionalidades para S-RES pode beneficiar tanto os profissionais de saúde como os pacientes. Estes sistemas devem ser próprios para o contexto onde serão utilizados, podendo estar voltados a diferentes áreas da saúde, assim como para diferentes níveis de atenção à saúde. Para o usuário final, a adequação do S-RES é avaliada pela qualidade em uso que resulta, principalmente, da funcionalidade, confiabilidade, usabilidade e eficiência do sistema. O termo funcionalidade designa o aspecto do sistema computacional que retrata as funções necessárias para a resolução de problemas dentro de um determinado contexto de uso. A funcionalidade se refere àquilo que um programa faz e, no caso de software interativo, o que ele deve oferecer para seus usuários. Frente a este contexto, a presente dissertação se propõe a identificar, através da literatura e de documentos de referência sobre o tema, as funcionalidades para os S-RES com potencial de apoiar os profissionais de saúde na prestação do cuidado ao paciente na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS). Nenhuma das listas de funcionalidades existentes na literatura é específica para S-RES para APS. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura nas principais bases de dados da área da saúde. Para a extração das funcionalidades, foram selecionados os documentos mais relevantes e que eram referência para os demais materiais consultados. As funcionalidades apresentadas pelos documentos foram compiladas e formatadas em uma planilha eletrônica de maneira que pudessem ser utilizadas para seleção de funcionalidades para um S-RES para APS. As funcionalidades identificadas foram categorizadas e agrupadas por similaridade de aplicação em sete categorias relacionadas ao contexto de trabalho na APS. Três documentos foram utilizados para a seleção das funcionalidades. A análise das funcionalidades identificadas evidenciou a predominância de funcionalidades relacionadas a aspectos clínicos da prestação do cuidado dos pacientes. De um total de 145 funcionalidades, 91 (62,8%) foram classificadas como de “manejo clínico do paciente”, grande parte dessas voltadas para o diagnóstico e tratamento clínico, como também para o apoio à decisão clínica. O conjunto de funcionalidades relacionadas à “prevenção” e às classificadas como de “educação em saúde e comunicação com o paciente” representaram juntas apenas 20% do total, com respectivamente 11,7% e 8,3% do total de funcionalidades identificadas. Importantes funcionalidades para S-RES de APS que consideram as perspectivas e preferências do paciente e de sua família em relação à saúde, e ainda, o relacionamentos entre os sujeitos, foram classificadas como “aspectos subjetivos e familiares” e representaram 4,8% do total de funcionalidades de APS. Por fim, é possível reconhecer que a maioria das funcionalidades para S-RES adequadas ao contexto da APS está direcionada ao manejo clínico dos pacientes. São poucas as funcionalidades que contemplam as demais dimensões do trabalho em APS e que favorecem uma compreensão da pessoa de modo integral. / Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems allow to manipulate and analyze large volumes of data and health information. The development , availability and use of features for EHR systems can benefit both health professionals and patients. These systems shall be suitable to the context where they will be used, or can be directed to different areas of health, as well as different levels of health care. For the end user, the adequacy of the EHR systems is evaluated for quality in use which results mainly from the: functionality, reliability, usability and system efficiency. Functionality refers to the aspect of the computer system that represents the functions required to solve problems within a specified context of use. Functionality refers to what a program does and, in the case of interactive software, what it must offer to its users. Facing this context, this thesis aims to identify, through literature and reference documents on the subject, the functionality for the EHR systems with the potential to support health professionals in the provision of patient care in Primary health Care (PHC). None of functionalities lists existing in the literature is specific to EHR systems for PHC. A literature review was conducted in the main bases of health care data. For the extraction of functionalities, the most relevant documents were selected and they were reference for other found materials. The functionalities presented by the documents were compiled and formatted in a electronic spreadsheet. So it could be used for selection of functionalities for an EHR systems for PHC. The identified functionalities were categorized and grouped by similarity application in seven categories related to the work context in PHC. Three documents were used for selection of functionalities. The analysis of the identified functionalities showed the predominance of functionalities related to clinical aspects of the provision of patient care. The total of 145 functionalities, 91 (62.8%) were classified as "clinical management of patients", most of these focused on the diagnosis and treatment, but also to clinical decision support. The group of functionalities related to "prevention" and classified as "health education and communication with the patient" together accounted for only 20% of the total, respectively 11.7% and 8.3% of the identified functionalities. Important functionalities to EHR systems for Primary Healh Care which regard the perspectives and preferences of patients and their families in relation to health, and also the relationships between the subjects were classified as "subjective and family aspects" and represented 4.8% of total PHC functionalities. Finally, it is possible to recognize that most of the appropriate EHR systems functionalities to the context of Primary Health Care is directed to the clinical management of patients. There are few functionalities that contemplate other dimensions of Primary Health Care work and support a comprehension of the person as a whole.