Willingness to use electronic medical record (EMR) system and its associated factors among health professionals working in Amhara region Private Hospitals 2021, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction Despite the high expectations of electronic medical records as a great prospect for improving performance in healthcare, the level of adoption and utilization, particularly in a developing country, is low. Knowing the willingness to use the electronic medical record system in the private hospital has an impact on the future implementation status and utilization of the electronic medical record in Ethiopia. However, there was no evidence of the status of the willingness to use electronic medical record systems in private hospitals in the Amhara region. This study aimed to assess the willingness to use electronic medical record Systems and its associated factors among health professionals working in Amhara Region Private Hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional institutional study was performed among 406 health professionals selected using proportional allocation with a simple random sampling technique in Amhara region private hospitals by using self-administered structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were performed to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios with a 95% Confidence interval. Results Out of the 406 participants included in the analysis, 307 (75.6%) showed a willingness to use the electronic medical record system. About three hundred twelve (76.8%) health professionals had good knowledge of electronic medical record systems, and 257 (63.3%) had good computer skills in electronic medical record systems. Health professionals who had electronic medical record knowledge (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI (1.004–3.409)), EMR training (3.29, 95% CI (1.353–8.003)), technical support personnel (1.92, 95% CI (1.122–3.305)), supportive supervision (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI (1.072–3.628)), and computer skill on electronic medical record (1.77, 95% CI (1.002–3.148)) were significantly associated with the outcome variable. Conclusions This finding shows a good proportion of willingness to use the electronic medical record system. The most significant factors associated with willingness to use the electronic medical record system were a lack of computer skills, computer training, and knowledge of the electronic medical record system.

The use and perceived value of electronic health information resources by health care professionals in the field of medicine, pharmacy, and nursing in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia

“…On the other hand, we found that time constraints imposed by workload, the inability to locate information quickly, and an abundance of clinically irrelevant information were the main obstacles to using electronic health information resources in daily practice. This result is compatible with a study conducted in Ethiopia, which revealed that the majority of healthcare professionals experienced difficulties when utilizing EHIRs, such as inadequate computer skills, a lack of computer training, and limited familiarity with the electronic medical record system ( Senishaw et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, technical challenges such as system compatibility issues and user interface complexity can impede health professionals' acceptance and proficiency in using EHIR systems ( Dharmawan et al, 2022 , Garavand et al, 2016 , Rahal et al, 2021 ).…”