Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Article Title: The Assessment Role of ICT in Electronic Herbal Prescription in Nigeria
by Ogirima, S.A.O., Afolabi, A.O., Baale, A.A., Olabiyisi, S.O., Omidiora, E.O., and Arulogun, O.T.

Abstract:
The usage of ICT and availability of the internet facility has helped greatly on the increased of the potential of telemedicine applications, degree of speed, and methods on which herbal practitioners and patients can interact. The paper access adoption of ICT in herbal practice will enhance and facilitating timely information for better decision making. The paper draws on information gathered during the process of mapping and discussion to present analysis and make recommendations about priority issues related to ICTs in herbal prescription. For this study, ICTs was classified as tools that facilitate communication, processing and transmission of information and sharing of knowledge by electronic means among herbal care providers either through telephones, computers, electronic-based media like digital text and audio-video recording, or the Internet. The assessment of the role of ICT in electronic her prescription was conducted among the herbal practitioners in Nigeria to know their views on adopting ICT in herbal prescription. The paper shows the significance of ICT in herbal care sector on how lives can be saved, patient care outcomes improved, and cost reduction through the effective usage of the ICT infrastructures in the healthcare transformation process based on the assessment conducted. The result obtained from herbal practitioners view shows that in term of cost majority prefer face-to-face 57.5% to ICT 43.5%; Ease of use 65.3% prefer face-to-face because the technology is new to them while 34.7% prefer ICT; Mobility, 21% prefer face-to-face while 79% prefer ICT; Privacy 29.6% prefer face-to-face while 70.4% prefer ICT; Security 26% prefer face-to-face while 74% prefer ICT and on User friendliness 41% prefer face-to-face while 59% prefer ICT role of herbal prescription. The overall result shows that 65% of herbal practitioners prefer ICT platform to face-to-face of prescriptions.

Keywords: assessment; role of ICT; electronic herbal prescription; Nigeria

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