| Successful electronic health records (EHR) implementation has the potential to transform the entire care delivery process across the enterprise. However, the rate of EHR implementation and use among physicians has been slow. Different factors have been reported in the literature that may hinder adoption of EHR. Identifying and managing these factors could assist organizations achieve their return on investments, improve care, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. This study investigated EHR adoption, current usage, barriers, and perceptions that foster use among medical professionals. Physicians in a multi-hospital health care delivery system were surveyed about their use of EHR systems and their respected functionalities to determine use patterns, satisfaction, ease of use, and perceived usefulness of implemented systems. Results showed that individual motivation towards EHR is a statistically significant factor that dictates use patterns and overall adoption of EHR systems. Organizations face immediate challenges in finding ways that would foster such motivations to increase adoption rates and above all usage of EHR systems. Institutions should be looking into creating a lasting impact on their healthcare delivery process through a sustainable health care system that goes beyond the incentive program offered by the U.S. government to achieve return on investment. |
