Academic Research Journal on Health Information Management

Vol. 7(4), pp. 86-95, October 2026

ISSN: 2734-2190

https://doi.org/10.14662/arjhim2026400

 

Full Length Research

 

 

Availability of Electronic Health Records and Its Effect on Patient Waiting Time in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital: Evidence from University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin

 

1I. O Salihu and 2Umar Faruk Abubakar

 

1Department of Health Information Management, Kwara State University. 2Federal University of Health Sciences Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria. E-mail: Famzarab@Gmail.Com  

*Corresponding author’s E-mail: Toyeenibraheem@Gmail.Com, Orcid Id: 0009-0003-8991-3585  

Accepted 19 October 2026

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Prolonged patient waiting time remains a persistent problem in Nigerian tertiary hospitals, where manual record handling, repeated registration and slow retrieval of case notes create bottlenecks at almost every service point. Electronic health records (EHR) are expected to shorten these delays, but evidence from Nigerian teaching hospitals is limited. Objective: This study assessed the availability of EHR and its effect on patient waiting time at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals (Health Information Management staff, nurses, doctors, laboratory scientists and pharmacists). From a population of 1,481, a sample of 315 was determined using the Taro Yamane formula and allocated proportionately across professional groups. A validated structured questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.76) was used. Data from 286 valid questionnaires (response rate 90.8%) were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and the chi-square test of independence at p < 0.05, with odds ratio and phi coefficient as measures of effect size. Results: Most respondents (79.0%) used EHR daily. EHR were available in respondents' departments (M = 3.23, SD = 0.80), but use across all hospital departments was rated lowest among availability items (M = 2.65, SD = 0.97), and frequent downtime or slow loading was reported (M = 3.07). EHR had a positive effect on patient waiting time (grand mean = 3.06). The strongest effects were faster access to medical histories (M = 3.30; 86.7% agreement) and improved patient registration (M = 3.21; 83.9%), while improvements in appointment scheduling (M = 2.89) and patient-noticed reductions in waiting time (M = 2.83) were weaker. Daily EHR use was significantly associated with perceived reduction in waiting time (χ² = 22.11, df = 1, p < 0.001; OR = 4.36, 95% CI 2.29–8.29; φ = 0.28). Conclusion: EHR at UITH reduce waiting time mainly by removing record-retrieval and registration bottlenecks. Uneven departmental coverage, weak scheduling functions and system downtime limit the gains. Full hospital-wide deployment, stronger scheduling modules and reliable infrastructure are recommended.

 

Keywords: Electronic health records; patient waiting time; patient flow; health information management; tertiary hospital; Nigeria.

Paper type: research