EFFECTS OF INTERNET SPEED ON SERVICE DELIVERY: A CASE OF HEALTH CARE SECTOR IN ELGEYO-MARAKWET COUNTY, KENYA
Abstract
Broadband Internet access in the healthcare sector worldwide is essential for improvement in service delivery. The extent to which hospitals are connected to broadband Internet varies worldwide. In Kenya, Internet broadband access has been adopted in the healthcare sector but its penetration differs from one county to another. The current study sought to determine the effects of Internet broadband access on service delivery in the health care sector in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The specific objective was to establish how Internet speed affects service delivery in health care. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The target population was 240 respondents who comprised of 24 doctors, 40 nurses, 56 management staffs and 120 hospital clients while the sample was 150 respondents who comprised of 15 doctors, 25 nurses, 35 management staffs and 75 hospital clients. Both stratified and simple random sampling techniques were adopted in the study. The data for the study was collected using both questionnaires and interview schedule. The current study adopted content validity, which was assessed on the basis of expert’s opinion. Reliability of the research instruments was measured using Cronbach’s alpha. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics while qualitative data content analysis. The findings revealed that Internet speed had a positive and significant effect on service delivery (β= 0.255, p>0.05). The study concluded that Internet speed affects service delivery in the healthcare sector. This is attributed to Internet transfer technology that is used at the facility affecting Internet speed which in-turn affects service delivery and Internet transfer technology which makes services affordable at the facility. The study recommended that the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) should consider Internet speed when enhancing Broadband Internet penetration in the healthcare sector in the marginalized counties in Kenya.
Key words: Internet Broadband Access, Internet speed, Service Delivery, Kenya
CITATION: Chemjor, T. K., & Njoroge, J. (2023). Effects of internet speed on service delivery: a case of health care sector in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 10 (1), 620 – 634.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v10i1.2565
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