Nurses' Perception and Barriers to Use of Information Communication Technology in a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria

The impact of information technology on nursing has been a subject of discourse for the latter half of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st. Despite its obvious benefits, adapting information technology to healthcare has been relatively difficult, and rates of use have been limited especiallyin many developing countries. This quantitative study has shown a generally low usage of information technology among nurses in the study setting. Many of the nurses adjudged themselves as novice in information technology, with 37.8% stating that they had never had formal training in information technology and many rating themselves as possessing little or no skill in the use of spreadsheet, databases, and so on. Many (55.6%) stated that they do not have access to information technology despite the fairly widespread satisfactory perception established among them. Results further showed that unreliable network connections, high work demand, inadequate number of computers, poor access to computers consequent on wrong locations, and poor system design with associated failure to fit work demands are some of the major barriers to the use of information technology in the study setting. These factors therefore need to be taken into consideration in any intervention that seeks to improve the nurses' use of information technology in clinical setting.