Implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) system increases efficiency of health services, quality of care and patient satisfaction. Successful implementation depends on many factors, one of which is how users respond to the new system. We studied medical receptionists' appraisal of the newly implemented EMR system in primary healthcare centres in Kuwait. Four hundred receptionists were selected randomly from different healthcare centres and asked to complete a user interaction satisfaction questionnaire relating to their experience of the new system. The response rate was 80.5%. A large majority of the respondents considered the system to be flexible (83%), easy (89%), and satisfying (81%). However, more than one third of the respondents (36%) found the system inadequate. Bivariate and multivariate analyses found age, typing ability, ease of data entry and computer error as significant correlates with overall user response. These findings relating to users' reactions to various aspects of the EMR should assist policymakers to recognise the causes of dissatisfaction with the EMR among medical receptionists at health centre clinics that may adversely affect its successful implementation and regular use, as well as the quality of care provided by the clinics. In addition, the findings provide information to assist the development of guidelines for future implementation of the EMR system at the secondary healthcare level.
Background:The nature and functions of e-health services are expanding rapidly and have the potential of not only improving health, but also to reduce health care costs, enhance scientific understanding of health issues, increase equity of health care, and improve communication between health care providers and patients. Objectives: The aim of the present study is to highlight e-health knowledge, attitude and practice among health care providers in Kuwait. Methods: This study was carried out in the 6 general hospitals during 2015 -2016. 438 health care workers who agreed to participate in the study were asked to fill a predesigned questionnaire that included information regarding sociodemographic characteristics, computer and internet experience as well as knowledge, attitude and practice regarding ehealth. Results: 99.5% of health care participants are users of the internet, 98.2% of them used it for seeking health information. Their e-health attitude percentage score (68.8 ± 10.7) was higher than both knowledge (58.9 ± 24.2) and practice (59.2 ± 20.3) scores. Conclusion: There is a gap between participants' attitude which was generally positive on one side and their knowledge and practice of e-health that were generally moderate on the other side.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate physicians’ perceptions of electronic prescribing in Kuwaiti primary healthcare centres. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June and August 2017 among 368 physicians from 25 primary healthcare centres in Kuwait. Data were collected from the participants using a self-reported questionnaire, including sociodemographic characteristics, previous experience with computers and awareness, knowledge and use of e-prescribing systems and their functional features. In addition, perceptions of the benefits and levels of satisfaction associated with e-prescribing were explored. Results: A total of 306 physicians completed the survey (response rate: 83%). The majority had positive perceptions regarding the use of e-prescribing, particularly in terms of time-savings (86%), healthcare quality (84%), productivity (80%) and clinical workflow and efficiency (83%). However, many respondents indicated that e-prescribing systems required additional improvements in terms of functionality. Conclusion: Most physicians in primary healthcare centres in Kuwait recognised the importance of e-prescribing to improve the quality of patient care, streamline workflow, increase productivity and reduce medical errors. However, there is a need to improve the design and infrastructure of e-prescribing systems, which may aid in the adoption of such systems in Kuwait.Keywords: Computer-Assisted Drug Therapies; Electronic Prescribing; Electronic Medical Records; Physicians; Primary Healthcare; Kuwait.
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