TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                         i

Approval page                                                                                                 ii

Certification page                                                                                          iii

Dedication                                                                                                      iv

Acknowledgements                                                                                        v

Table of Contents                                                                                           vi

List of Tables                                                                                                  ix

Abstract                                                                                                          x

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION                                                                    1

Background of the study                                                                                1

Statement of the problem                                                                               7

Purpose of the Study                                                                                      8

Research Questions                             9                                                                            

Significance of the Study                                                                               9

Scope of the Study                                                                                         10

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE                                               11

Conceptual frame work

Concept of nurse and nursing                                                                         11

Concept of Information                                                                                  14

Concept of Information Needs                                                                       16

Concept of ICT utilization competencies                                                       17

Information needs of Nurses                                                                20

Sources of information to Nurses                                                         22

ICT competencies required by Nurses                                                         25

ICT utilization competencies possessed by Nurses                                       29                                 

Challenges facing Nurses in acquiring ICT competencies                             31

Strategies that can be used to overcome the challenges                        34

Review of Related Empirical Studies                                             36

Summary of literature review                                                         44

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD                                                     46

Design of the Study                                                                                        46

Area of the Study                                                                                           46

Population of the Study                                                                                  47

Sample and Sampling Technique                                                                    47

Instrument for Data Collection                                                                       47

Validation of the Instrument                                                                          48

Method of Data Collection                                                                             48

Method of Data Analysis                                                                               49

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS                                                                               50

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION                      62

Discussion of Findings                                                                                   62

Implications of the study                                                                                67

Recommendations                                                                                          68

Limitations of the Study                                                                                 69

Suggestions for Further Research                                                                   69       

Conclusion                                                                                                      69

REFERENCES                                                                                                        71

APPENDICES                                                                                             

Appendix 1     Questionnaire                                                                          75

Appendix 2     Population of the study                                                          81

Appendix 3     Sample Table                                                                           82

Appendix 4     Observation Checklist                                                             83

LIST OF TABLES

                                                                                                            Page

Table 1: Information needs of nurses                                                          51                                        

Table 2: Sources of Information to nurses                                                  53

Table 3: ICT Competencies required by Nurses                                         55

Table 4: ICT Utilization competencies possessed by nurses                      56

Table 5: Challenges facing nurses in acquiring ICT competencies            57

Table 6: Strategies for Overcoming the Challenges                                    59

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the ICT utilization competencies for meeting the information needs of nurses in three hospitals in Enugu State. Six specific objectives guided the study and sought to find out the information needs of nurses, sources of information to nurses, ICT competencies required by nurses, ICT utilization competencies possessed by nurses, challenges facing nurses in acquiring ICT competencies, and strategies for overcoming the challenges. Descriptive survey design was employed while the population was 717 nurses. A sample of 359 nurses was used while proportionate sampling technique was employed to select the sample. Questionnaire and observation checklist were used for data collection. Frequency, percentages and mean were used to analyze the data generated. The study revealed that nurses need information on nursing process, patient care generally, how to avoid contracting diseases from patients etc to function maximally. Print resources, electronic resources and other resource are sources of information available to nurses; ICT utilization competencies of nurses were not very high; insufficient computers and its accessories, and difficulty in accessing foreign journals and materials were major challenges facing nurses in acquiring ICT competencies. It equally revealed that establishment of information centers, assisting nurses to have access to foreign journals; provision of computer with internet accessories; and provision of fund by the government were the major strategies to overcome the challenges. The study recommended that access to information should be provided to nurses; provision of adequate computers and its accessories; information resources in different formats especially electronic resources should also be provided to nurses for effective nursing services.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION:

Background of the study

A hospital offers considerable advantages to both patient and society.  A Hospital is an institution that provides medical, surgical, or psychiatric care and treatment for the sick or the injured. W.H.O as cited in free on-line dictionary, states that hospitals are socio-medical organizations which functions are curative, preventive, patient services and training of health workers in biosocial research. (Free online Dictionary). It is a place where sick people are looked after by doctors and nurses. It is originally referred to places of hospitality. Hospitals usually are distinguished from other types of medical facilities by their ability to admit and care for in-patients (i.e. people that are admitted and stay over night or for several days or weeks or months) while the others often are described as clinics since they deal with out-patients only. Hospitals are categorized under: general hospitals, district hospitals, specialized hospitals, private/mission hospitals etc.

            Hospitals are largely staffed by professional physicians, surgeons and nurses and other workers. Hospital workers help in the administration of a hospital. They work in different departments of the hospital like administrative, clinical, laboratory, pharmaceutical, finance department etc. Nurses differ from other health professionals like doctors, physician assistants (PA), optometrists, physical therapists, pediatrists etc. The differences include in areas of specialization, years in education/experience, duties, working environment, societal perception, authority, salary / income, dress codes etc. Doctors go through many years of training and education to even get in the door and then spend some time working their way up the medical ladder. Doctors perform such tasks like surgical operations unlike nurses. Nurses prepare patients to see doctors (Herbert, 2007).

Nursing is a health profession which provides care to people throughout the continuum of life. It is a career which allows an individual to combine his/her interest in science with his /her desire to help and care for others. A nurse is a healthcare professional who is focused on caring for individuals, families, and communities, ensuring that they attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and functioning. He/she is a person who is qualified in the art and science of nursing and meets certain prescribed standards of education and clinical competence (Udeh, 2008 citing Bailliere and Tindall). Nurses are among health professionals that are directly involved in the treatment and management of patients and other patient-related information. According to Ufere (2008), a nurse can be defined as a person who nourishes, fosters and protects. A person who is prepared to care for the sick, injured and aged.

Nurses practice in different areas including hospitals, home care, private medical practices, public health, clinics, corporations, schools, military service, occupational health and education, etc. Nurses work with other health care professionals to provide services to the public.  For nurses to achieve all these protocols in their profession, they need current information.

Information is valuable in all aspects of human development. It helps to facilitate growth and change in a society. Ozioko (2010) citing Morale states that information is knowledge in the form of facts and opinions, which are transmitted through a medium from one person to another. It could be in terms of tools, processes or knowledge. Olorundare (2006) sees information ‘as fact or details about something”. Information has become the most important element for progress in society. To thrive well in this information explosion era, one needs a variety of information, no matter how well versed one is in a field or profession. It plays a significant role in our professional and personal lives. People in different sectors need information to work properly in their fields, including the health sector. Information is a very crucial tool for health professionals especially nurses and how they acquire and use information are key determinants of their performances.

            Nurses like other professionals need a wide range of information in order to meet up with the demands of routine nursing practices. Such demands include direct patient care needs related to the disease/ recovery cycle, patients’ family requests, routine teaching, colleagues’ requests, personal development and the likes. The importance of health information to nurses can never be over emphasized. Health information is the information that supports clinical and healthcare business decision-making. When health information is accessed, managed and utilized by health professionals especially nurses, it allows a more accurate and timely exchange of patient data and information to improve decision making – ultimately improving patient care and the hospital’s image. Health information is becoming a solution to the increasingly high patient challenges, and the constantly changing health care services. Nurses successfully carry out their responsibilities through information gathered about their clients. They need such information like patient care-_­ related information, doctors’ orders, policies and patient education. In addition, nurses need information to keep themselves up-to-date in their field of work and solve some work-related problems like time shifts, vase knowledge on treatment protocols /regimen, diagnosis/etiology, disease, adverse effects of drug therapy, etc. (Nwagwu and Oshiname, 2009).

With the increasing use of information, prescriptions and information therapy in evidence-based practices (EBP), clinical nurses regularly need and source information in su