Abstract

The acquisition of health information systems (HIS) by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in Namibia has been uncoordinated, thereby resulting in fragmented silo systems and a lot of duplication of functionality across departments. Integration of ISs is required to provide consistent information support throughout the health sector. The aim of this paper is to assess the level of integration of IS in the Namibian health sector. The question therefore would be, “What is the current level of integration of HIS in the Namibian health sector and what are the factors that influence their level of integration” The study adopts a qualitative research strategy through a case study of MoHSS departments. The case study research design was selected to focus on three MoHSS Electronic Records Management (ERM) systems, the DHIS2, EPI INFO and eHealth. A critical analysis of related IS integration literature was conducted, which fed into interview questions on the status of HIS integration in Namibia. Three categories of semi‑structured interviews were performed – one with the information technology (IT) experts, one with the systems users who are the nurses and the doctors and the last with health policy experts. The interviewees were expected to have worked in one of the Ministry’s departments for at least 3 years. The interview sample consisted of four systems analysts, two systems administrators, two computer technicians, one intern, two doctors, 30 nurses and 1 Deputy Director of IT. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed for data analysis. The conclusion reached by this research was that although efforts have been initiated towards the integration of HIS in Namibia, a lot of ground is yet to be covered.