Implementing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Technology in Hospital Setting: A Qualitative Study

Utilizing the Hospital Information System (HIS) facilitates the implementation of quality improvement strategies for hospital services. EMR contributes to service development by facilitating quality, sustainable, integrated, and efficient health care. Objective: This study explored the experience of EMR users in a private hospital with a descriptive qualitative research design. Method: Researchers selected 20 participants and conducted semi-structured interviews with interview guidelines. A descriptive qualitative approach with a thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results: We found three interconnected main themes: (1) Benefits of implementation of MRE, (2) Barriers to implementation of MRE, and (3) Facilitators to implementation of MRE. Each theme included several subthemes. Conclusion: Aspects such as hardware, finance, human resources, technical support, leadership, and training all contribute to the success of an EMR implementation. EMR facilitates information accessibility, improves the completeness of medical records, and increases the efficacy of the communication process. Hospitals derive immense benefits from EMR implementation; therefore, to achieve high-tech hospitals, the EMR implementation process must maximize the participation and engagement of organizational members under the guidance of strong leadership-several challenges with EMR implementation. Confidentiality must be considered when evaluating EMR security hazards and access rights involving usernames and passwords for logging in and out. According to participants, one of the difficulties of implementing EMR is related to its management.