Investigation of Electronic Medical Records System’s Perceived Success in Public Sector Hospitals in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The backbone of any digital health system is the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system which is a digitized medical record as an alternative to physical (manual) medical records. EMR can provide quick access to patients' accurate, up-to-date and complete information for efficient diagnosis reducing medical errors and providing safer care. Health administrators are able to make better decisions and manage health care facilities based on EMR data. Hence, EMR contributes in providing effective, cost-efficient, safe, and scalable health care delivery systems in a country enabling a healthy nation. Determining the success of an EMR system is an ongoing area of research since its implications are of interest for researchers and health administrators. The investigation of EMR is the process of systematically assessing the impact, value and benefits to decide the success of the implementation. There are diverse perspectives, approaches and measures used in both research and practice in EMR investigations. This concept paper presents the literature on factors that influence the success of EMR. This research uses the mixed method. The first phase is a quantitative study using stratified samples of clinical staff from EMR implemented public sector hospitals. The second phase is a qualitative research to extend and develop the understanding of findings from other users’ perspectives. This research fills an important research gap and contributes to understanding the level of perceived success of the EMR system in public sector hospitals and revealing the most significant success factors. These findings could be used for future EMR investments and maximizing the EMR success.