ROLE OF ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN EFFECTIVE HEALTHCARE SERVICES DELIVERY IN UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN TEACHING HOSPITAL ILORIN, KWARA STATE.

The research focused on the ”role of electronic records management in the effective delivery of healthcare services at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State”. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of awareness of healthcare practitioners about electronic health records (EHR); evaluate the impact of EHR on healthcare service delivery; identify challenges hindering the use of EHR; and examine the proposed solutions to these challenges in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State. The research adopted a descriptive research design. A total enumeration method was used to select all the one hundred and seventy-nine (179) healthcare professionals in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, of which one hundred and sixty (160) responded, giving a response rate of 89.4%. Data was collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Findings revealed that a majority of respondents (75%) strongly agreed they are enlightened on EHR, with 71.9% also affirming that they had received formal training. About 76.3% indicated familiarity with EHR features, and 95.6% agreed that EHR improves accuracy and efficiency in documentation. Regarding the impact, 82.5% of respondents affirmed that EHR enhances patient satisfaction and reduces medical errors, while 72.5% acknowledged improvement in healthcare service delivery. However, the study identified significant challenges such as lack of training (71.3%), data breaches (78.8%), poor infrastructure and technical issues (71.9%), and resistance to change (75.6%). The study concluded that although the hospital has made progress in EHR implementation, there are still systemic and infrastructural barriers hindering full adoption. Addressing these issues through increased training, resource provision, and improved infrastructure will enhance service efficiency and patient care. It was recommended that the hospital invest in continuous training and professional development of healthcare staff; provide adequate funding and stable power supply; adopt advanced EHR systems; enhance data security protocols; promote system interoperability; and modernize physical infrastructure to meet contemporary healthcare standards.