Background With the proliferation of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, there is an increasing interest in utilizing EMR data for medical research; yet, there is no quantitative research on EMR data utilization for medical research purposes in China. Objective This study aimed to understand how and to what extent EMR data are utilized for medical research purposes in a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 7 hospital in Beijing, China. Obstacles and issues in the utilization of EMR data were also explored to provide a foundation for the improved utilization of such data. Methods For this descriptive cross-sectional study, cluster sampling from Xuanwu Hospital, one of two Stage 7 hospitals in Beijing, was conducted from 2016 to 2019. The utilization of EMR data was described as the number of requests, the proportion of requesters, and the frequency of requests per capita. Comparisons by year, professional title, and age were conducted by double-sided chi-square tests. Results From 2016 to 2019, EMR data utilization was poor, as the proportion of requesters was 5.8% and the frequency was 0.1 times per person per year. The frequency per capita gradually slowed and older senior-level staff more frequently used EMR data compared with younger staff. Conclusions The value of using EMR data for research purposes is not well studied in China. More research is needed to quantify to what extent EMR data are utilized across all hospitals in Beijing and how these systems can enhance future studies. The results of this study also suggest that young doctors may be less exposed or have less reason to access such research methods.
BACKGROUND With the proliferation of electronic medical records systems (EMRs), there is an increasing interest in utilizing EMRs data for medical research, yet there is no quantitative research on EMRs data utilization for medical research purposes. OBJECTIVE Understand the current status of clinical data utilization in clinical research activities, including trends in recent years and differences between different populations, to find out the present problems in the use of EMR data for research, and provide a reference for promoting the utilization of EMR data in scientific research. METHODS For this descriptive, cross-sectional study, the utilization of EMRs data by staff at Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, China between 2016 and 2019 was analyzed. The utilization of EMRs data was described as the number of requests, the proportion of requesters, and the frequency of requests per capita. The comparison by year, professional title, and age was conducted by double-sided chi square test. RESULTS From 2016 to 2019, EMRs data utilization was poor, as the proportion of requesters was 5.8% and the frequency was 0.1 times / person / year. The frequency per capita gradually slowed and more older, senior level staff used EMRs data compared to younger staff. CONCLUSIONS The value of using EMRs data for research purposes does not get enough attention among researchers in Chinese hospitals. Ensuring equal availability of EMRs data and highlighting the benefits of such systems can help promote its use in research settings. Future research should focus on mechanisms that encourage data utilization, ensure fair data availability, and promote data sharing.
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