User information satisfaction survey on HealthNet Nepal

With the rapid information revolution we are witnessing today, applications of information technology within developing countries have been getting much attention. Many organizations have become involved in this field. Among them, SatelLife, a Boston-based non-governmental organization, is one of the pioneers and contributes to this emerging field through a worldwide computer-based telecommunication system named HealthNet. The main purpose of this computer network is to link health care workers around the world, especially in developing countries. HealthNet employs various telecommunication technologies, such as those of satellite, telephone and radio-networking, to facilitate information distribution and communication among users mainly through email. The research for this thesis was conducted on HealthNet Nepal, the Nepalese part of HealthNet. HealthNet Nepal has about 70 subscribers, of which most are organizations whose members have a right to use the net. There are also several individual subscribers. The research had two main objectives. One was to evaluate users' satisfaction with HealthNet Nepal from the perspectives both of information content and of the way it provides information. The other objective was to identify what should be done to improve users' satisfaction. For data collection, the author conducted both online self-administered email questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, significant parts of which were based on a modification of the short form User Information Satisfaction (UIS) instrument (Baroudi and Orlikowski, 1988). For the treatment of the UIS-related data, the author modified the standardized UIS calculation process to adapt this research to the current situation of HealthNet Nepal. For data analysis, the author used standardized statistical data processing methods, including correlation coefficients, Fisher's exact tests and T-tests. The results suggest that users are generally satisfied with HealthNet Nepal, especially with staff s responsibility, accountability and cordiality to users. However, they are not satisfied with the degree of training in use of the net and have the feeling that their knowledge of systems and services of the net is insufficient. The results also suggest that the majority of the primary users among organizational subscribers are non-specialist users, and that non-specialist users are less satisfied with the net than are specialist users. The author makes two recommendations. One is to provide hands-on training class sessions to facilitate usage of the net to its fullest potential. The other is to introduce mailing lists that target specialist users in Nepal, in order to encourage more active communication between this often-isolated sub-group of users. Thesis Supervisor: Aixa N. Cintron Title: Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Planning Acknowledgement First of all, I wish to thank Mohan Pradham, HealthNet Nepal, and Kerry Gallivan, SatelLife, for their valuable support in Kathmandu and Boston. I also wish to thank Pramod Pyakural, RONAST, Kathmandu, and his relative, Kiran Pyakural in Biratnagar. Without their help, I could not have completed interviews in eastern Nepal. I am indebted to those individuals who gave time to respond to my survey questionnaires and to be interviewed. I also say 'thank you' to staff in Hotel Excelsior, Kathmandu, for their hospitality. I am particularly grateful for the great performance of Sachika Iwata, my friend, to solve my unexpected trouble during the research. Finally, I especially wish to thank my thesis advisor, Aixa Cintron, and my readers, Paul Smoke and Mike Shiffer, for their valuable assistance at MIT.