Modeling a unified communications and integrated collaboration system in the health sector of developing countries: a case study of the health sector of Uganda
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Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
Health sector service system is essentially intricate, multi-disciplinary and fragmented social systemcomprising of numerous contributors and clients responsible to deliver health services to patients in distinct areas. Customizing the needs of single patients intensifies the intricacy of the systems as the system finds their current model and applications or systems used to support it, inadequate to meet their requirements (delivery, access and costs). This intricacy incites decision makers to assess intermediations such as Unified Communication and Integrated Collaboration (UCIC) system to improve the effectiveness and competence of health sector servicesystem due to evolving behaviourthe potential intended and unintended consequences. System Dynamic approach was used to develop simulation models to anticipate the degree of competence of a UCIC system intermediations as well as its cost friendliness it brings to service system. Contributions of this research are the assessmentof the existing infrastructures of the health sector in terms of communications and collaboration aspects, the use of system dynamics method and the development of two models for assessing the integration of UCIC system and traffic analysis in the health sector service system. The assessment shows the benefits as improvement in the quality of health service delivery by 40.73% and degree of exploitation by 36.51% and reduction of costs by 23.2 %. The traffic analysis assessment indicates that as the disease burden increases the traffic increases. There were policysuggestions that will assist policymakers and decision makers make decision for the betterment of the health service system thus healthy population, increased productivity, then improved human development index. The UCIC system has been especially designed for wide-area telemedicine platform and for homecare services. It allows patients to be monitored with seamless flow of information no matter their locations, even in geographically dispersed and isolated areas, where normally there is no infrastructure capable of supporting similar services
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF TK5105.8865.D44F38)
Keywords
Internet telephony, Computer networks, Information technology, Computer network protocols, Health sector, Developing countries, Uganda
Citation
Favor, E. (2016) Modeling a unified communications and integrated collaboration system in the health sector of developing countries: a case study of the health sector of Uganda, Doctoral dissertation,University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.