Enabling and Restricting Factors That Affect the Adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Palestinian Public Healthcare System
Date
2021-11-06
Authors
Samara, Maryam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
An-Najah National University
Abstract
Electronic health records (EHRs) are one of the health information technology (HIT) applications that aim to enhance public healthcare by delivering high-quality cures and ensuring patient safety. Despite the multiple benefits of the electronic health system for patients and health providers, there are still obstacles that restrict the successful adoption and implementation of EHRs.
This study qualitatively explores and identifies the key facilitators that support EHRs adoption and the key barriers that limit EHRs implementation. Besides, the study established a theoretical framework of enabling and restricting factors.
The study’s methodology is based on a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews. The sample of the study includes twenty-six clinical and non-clinical staff across six Palestinian public hospitals.
The analysis revealed that there are three enabling factors and five restricting factors in addition to the theoretical model. The five major barriers include system limitations and drawbacks, lack of connectivity between different stakeholders, human negative practices, resources issues, and system inefficiencies. The three major facilitators include cognitive acknowledgment toward the EHR system, smooth flow of information, and previous handwritten records experience. Furthermore, the study provides a theoretical framework of enabling and restricting factors that affect and limit the EHRs adoption and implementation across Palestinian governmental hospitals from HCPs' perspectives and experience.
All occurred barriers and facilitators that emerged in enabling and restricting factors are categorized into five major barriers and four major facilitators to form an inclusive understanding of the current status of EHRs. The financial, technical, human, time, in addition to organizational barriers, are the five major categories of barriers and challenges that restrict the successful implementation of EHRs. On the other hand, the previous experience with paper-based records, Avicenna HIS features, human, and organizational facilitators are the four major categories of facilitators that support the successful implementation of EHRs.
Finally, the study provides practical implications for both healthcare executives and stakeholders. The healthcare executives and stakeholders are recommended to sustain the research facilitators and strengthen them effectively to ensure the sustainability of electronic health system execution. For said obstacles, stockholders and healthcare executives can overcome them or minimize their negative impacts by following the research implications to handle the aforementioned obstacles effectively. For the knowledge contribution, the researchers are recommended to pay attention to the research future studies to enhance the reality of EHRs in the Palestinian health sector. Future investigations are necessary to validate the kinds of conclusions that can be drawn from this study.
Description
Electronic health records (EHRs) are one of the health information technology (HIT) applications that aim to enhance public healthcare by delivering high-quality cures and ensuring patient safety. Despite the multiple benefits of the electronic health system for patients and health providers, there are still obstacles that restrict the successful adoption and implementation of EHRs.
This study qualitatively explores and identifies the key facilitators that support EHRs adoption and the key barriers that limit EHRs implementation. Besides, the study established a theoretical framework of enabling and restricting factors.
The study’s methodology is based on a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews. The sample of the study includes twenty-six clinical and non-clinical staff across six Palestinian public hospitals.
The analysis revealed that there are three enabling factors and five restricting factors in addition to the theoretical model. The five major barriers include system limitations and drawbacks, lack of connectivity between different stakeholders, human negative practices, resources issues, and system inefficiencies. The three major facilitators include cognitive acknowledgment toward the EHR system, smooth flow of information, and previous handwritten records experience. Furthermore, the study provides a theoretical framework of enabling and restricting factors that affect and limit the EHRs adoption and implementation across Palestinian governmental hospitals from HCPs' perspectives and experience.
All occurred barriers and facilitators that emerged in enabling and restricting factors are categorized into five major barriers and four major facilitators to form an inclusive understanding of the current status of EHRs. The financial, technical, human, time, in addition to organizational barriers, are the five major categories of barriers and challenges that restrict the successful implementation of EHRs. On the other hand, the previous experience with paper-based records, Avicenna HIS features, human, and organizational facilitators are the four major categories of facilitators that support the successful implementation of EHRs.
Finally, the study provides practical implications for both healthcare executives and stakeholders. The healthcare executives and stakeholders are recommended to sustain the research facilitators and strengthen them effectively to ensure the sustainability of electronic health system execution. For said obstacles, stockholders and healthcare executives can overcome them or minimize their negative impacts by following the research implications to handle the aforementioned obstacles effectively. For the knowledge contribution, the researchers are recommended to pay attention to the research future studies to enhance the reality of EHRs in the Palestinian health sector. Future investigations are necessary to validate the kinds of conclusions that can be drawn from this study.