The Factors Related to the Use of Electronic Medical Records Among Healthcare Professionals in Hospitals Management

Abstract

Background: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are digitalized medical record systems that collect, store, and display patient data. It is individual patient clinical information electronically gathered and made instantly available to all physicians in the healthcare chain, assisting in the delivery of coherent and consistent care. The study aims: To examine the factors associated with the use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in hospitals management. Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted. Three hundred and ninety-six (396) healthcare professionals (HCPs) were surveyed from the various public hospitals in Makkah, KSA. The participants included physicians, physician assistants, nurses, laboratory technicians, radiologists, pharmacists, record managers, and ICT staff. Frequency and Chi-Square analyses were performed on the data. Results: The results showed that approximately 59% (n=212) of HCPs indicated low use of EMR services in their hospitals. Lack of computer competence (p<0.001), poor communication between users (p=0.050), cost of EMR resources and facilities (p<0.001), lack of technical personnel to install and operate EMR technology resources (p<0.001), and lack of EMR software packages (p<0.001) had significant negative relationships with EMR utilization. Conclusion: Utilization of EMR services is low among the HCPs. Therefore, the Health Service needs to provide training to their employees and supply the needed resources to encourage and support the hospitals and healthcare workers to increase the utilization of the EMR services that improve healthcare delivery. To enhance EMR utilization, it will be essential that government supports health facilities that have challenges using EMR. To better understand the issues, a mixed method approach is recommended to be used to study healthcare workers from both private and public healthcare facilities.