Influence of top management supports on records management practices in tertiary hospitals in South-Western, Nigeria

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Records are important sources of information and knowledge and they constitute evidence of a person’s or an organisation’s activity. Records are important for decision making, accountability and reconstruction of past activities. Records Management Practices entail creation, maintenance, use, retention and disposition of records and they are essential to guarantee access to volumes of valuable records generated as a result of operational functions in tertiary hospitals. There had been reported cases of poor patients’ health records management practices in tertiary hospitals in South-Western Nigeria.. Design/Methods: This study examined the influence of top management supports on records management practices in tertiary hospitals in South-Western Nigeria..The expose facto design was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of 493 licensed Health Information Management professionals (Records Managers) in the sixteen tertiary hospitals in South-Western Nigeria and total enumeration was adopted. The instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Multiple regressions at 0.05 significant level. Results: Findings show high level (and efficient) health records management practices and a relatively though inadequate influence of top management supports on health records management practices.. Conclusion: Top management supports should be considered as fundamental in the establishment and running of records management practices in tertiary hospitals in South-Western Nigeria.