Electronic medical record compliance and continuity in delivery of care: an empirical investigation in a combat environment

Electronic medical record system avoidance in a turbulent environment

“…In theory, key patient information is collected during this evacuation process and recorded on paper and/or electronically in an EMR system. However, research shows that physicians in our context may avoid these EMR systems [51]. Effective treatment depends partly on medical staff having access to a patient's up-to-date medical history.…”

“…We note three differences between IS avoidance and other types of IS resistance [39]: (1) avoidance suggests that resistance occurs after system implementation; (2) avoidance is a relatively mild response compared with extreme behaviors (e.g., sabotage, destruction); and (3) avoidance implies that while an individual has the opportunity and even the need to use the system, he/she consciously circumvents the system. We focus on IS avoidance for two reasons: (1) the EMR systems in our context (the U.S. military) have been implemented for a number of years, thus positioning our work in a post-adoption stage; and (2) evidence suggests that physicians in our context are avoiding EMR systems at their disposal [51]. Health-care-related research on IS avoidance has mostly been conducted in stable environments, for example, community hospitals, [45] health-care groups, [39] and large private hospitals [69].…”