Effective utilisation of human resource information systems in the South African health sector

Abstract

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are considered change facilitators that enable organisations to achieve competitive advantage. The need for effective HR practices in the health sector is high, which has led to various research endeavours. Interestingly, even though the benefit of using an HRIS in the health sector has been significantly researched, determining how HRIS can be effectively utilised for workforce management and retention strategy in the public health sector of South Africa is yet to be accomplished. In South Africa, many would argue that the public health sector is in a state of severe decline. HRIS can contribute to better service delivery in this sector. The research questions for this study are: What are the factors that hinder the effective utilisation of HRIS within the public health sector? What impact does HRIS usage have on monitoring and retention of the skilled workforce in the public health sector? How can HRIS be utilised to assist the public health sector to improve its services to the public? To descriptively explore these questions, a mixed method research approach was used. The methodological approach consisted of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires for data collection, while analysis was carried out using ATLAS-ti and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. ATLAS-ti was used to analyse qualitative data, which assisted in the emergence of significant themes/keywords upon which critical discussions focused; SPSS was used for the quantitative data. Several crucial findings emerged from the study. The study adopted Innovation Diffusion Theory, Knowledge-Based Theory and the Technology Organisational and Environmental (TOE) Framework to develop a Managerial, Technological and External (MTE) Factors Framework for effective use of HRIS technology in the health sector. Non-probability purposive sampling methods were used to identify participants, which included HR, IT, healthcare professionals and hospital management. Ultimately the study describes the connection between effective HRIS and workforce management to transform the outcomes of technology-based HR processes for service delivery in health. The study finds that the HRIS used in the public health sector of the Western Cape, South Africa is named PERSAL, based on outdated, primitive, and irregularly updated technology. Further findings are numerous factors that constrain the effective use of HRIS in the public health sector. These factors include, among others, dilapidated/primitive systems, lack of knowledge and awareness of HRISs, human factors, lack of access to computers, and dependence on manual HR functions. The manual HR function in some hospitals is perhaps the reason for not having an effective technology based HRIS to monitor and manage their health workers. Managing the health workforce would require continuous report generation for strategic decisions and impact the sector positively. The study further describes managerial, technological, and external dimensions as contributing factors to developing a pertinent framework for HRIS usage in managing workers in the public health sector of South Africa. Some recommendations are flagged in this study, including guidelines for effective HRIS utilisation and future research directions.