EHealth adoption on patients' pre-consultation waiting time: A comparative assessment of two district hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria

Evidence to support widespread adoption of digital health tools in hospitals is still lacking, and proof of their acceptance within the health system is largely missing. This study compared patient's pre-consultation waiting time (time spent at the pay-point, registration, and nursing-station prior to consultation) in two hospitals, one using paper based registration system and the other using an electronic (eHealth) registration system. Structured questionnaires were administered to both patients and health workers to determine and compare factors affecting care delivery wait times and how the use or non-use of eHealth in patient's registration process influence it. In addition, patient wait times were measured in both hospitals at these care points. Overall aggregate waiting time was observed to be longer in Maitama District Hospital (MDH) using the electronic hospital information system. This variance was found to be statistically significant as can be seen (t= 58.405, p=0.024). Inspite of this, wait times at registration and pay-point was significantly lower for MDH.