Adoption of electronic medical records as a technology innovation for ambulatory care at the Medical University of South Carolina

This study measured and compared the perceptions of groups of Medical University of South Carolina ambulatory care staff and physicians toward adopting an EMR system, using the Perceived Characteristics of Innovating (PCI) Scales developed by Moore and Benbasat (1991). The PCI scale scores were compared by professional group and by clinic location. The overall findings of this study were that potential users of the ambulatory care EMR at MUSC had generally positive or neutral perceptions toward the system. There were a number of significant differences noted among the professional groups, particularly between the physician groups and other groups. The physician groups had less positive perceptions than the other groups did. There were few significant differences noted for comparisons by clinic location. The implications of this study are that physicians may need more convincing than other groups about the positive aspects of the EMR. Systems administrators and trainers may want to consider employing different implementation techniques with physicians.