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The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research study conducted to find the perceptions of medical professionals about reduction in medical errors using electronic medical records (EMRs). It presents the relationship between EMR use in medical facilities and the reduction in medical errors. The use of EMR can lead to competitive advantages in the health-care environment.

This paper is based upon the perceptions of 99 medical professionals who use EMR in their practice in Arizona, USA.

This paper presents the medical professionals who use EMR which reduces medical errors, wrong site surgery, improper dosage delivery to a patient, wrong medication, etc. by 50-60 per cent.

This paper is limited to perceived reductions in medical errors because the actual number of errors is either unavailable or medical professionals are unwilling to provide. Future research should seek conducting database searches to find medical malpractice lawsuits, unexpected costs or any reference to quantifying losses because of medical errors. Once the expenses are reported, relating to medical malpractice legal costs with the cost of investing in EMR system would prove an excellent observational study.

Medical professionals, medical facilities and patients should be aware of the impact EMRs have on the healthcare provided as well as the safety of patients enabled by the EMRs.

Health-care industry is operating in a crisis mode and before it turns chaotic, there needs to be a consistent product used by every health-care organization or practice. EMRs can automatically update patients’ information that is required on a routine basis via different computing systems such as cloud, minimizing the need for information technology professionals to handle the issues. This leads to reduced cost, increased efficiency, effectiveness and better management of the patients’ health and wellness outcomes, with perceived reduction in medical errors.

The value of this research report is to provide the various features EMR offers and how it helps to reduce medical mistakes that help in avoiding repetition of different tests, incorrect dosage delivery and interaction of various medicines a patient is taking.

The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual model that posits the strategic relationships between information technology, clinic operations and physicians and the subsequent outcomes to patients, physicians and clinics which can lead to competitive advantages in the healthcare environment.

This paper is based on a review of the literature and proposes a conceptual model of the strategic relationships essential for success. The scope of the paper is based on the legal, economic and political triggers impacting the strategic relationship between electronic medical records, clinic interoperability and physicians as owners/users.

The paper presents the formation of a conceptual model which identifies the strategic alignment between clinics, physicians and information technology, more specifically, electronic medical records.

This paper is limited in that it is not an empirical investigation but a conceptual model of future research endeavours. Future research endeavours should seek empirical findings related to the relationships proposed in the model.

Physicians, clinics and patients should be aware of the impact electronic medical records have on the health environment as well as the potential competitiveness due to health consumerism enabled by electronic medical records.

Electronic medical records, personal health records and electronic health records are infiltrating society; subsequently health consumers should determine how this technology may impact their healthcare.

The value of this paper is to provide a conceptual model as a basis for future empirical research and awareness of changes in the competitiveness of the healthcare environment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the elements that health care personnel in Thailand believe are necessary for successful adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

Initial qualitative in-depth interviews with physicians to adapt key elements from the literature to the Thai context. The 12 elements identified included things related to managing the implementation and to IT expertise. The nationwide survey was supported by the Ministry of Public Health and returned 1,069 usable questionnaires (response rate 42 percent) from a range of medical personnel.

The key elements clearly separated into a managerial dimension and an IT dimension. All were considered fairly important, but managerial expertise was more critical. In particular, there should be clear EMR project goals and scope, adequate budget allocation, clinical staff must be involved in implementation, and the IT should facilitate good electronic communication.

Thailand is representative of middle-income developing countries, but there is no guarantee findings can be generalized. National policies differ, as do economic structures of health care industries. The focus is on management at the organizational level, but future research must also examine macro-level issues, as well as gain more depth into thinking of individual health care personnel.

Technical issues of EMR implementation are certainly important. However, it is clear actual adoption and use of the system also depends very heavily on managerial issues.

Most research on EMR implementation has been in developed countries, and has often focussed more on technical issues rather than examining managerial issues closely. Health IT is also critical in developing economies, and management of health IT implementation must be well understood.

This paper aims to, by looking at the electronic medical record (EMR) from three points of view, bring light to the dynamics that are essential and are currently missing in the USA. The traditional paper medical record has worked for physicians, management and patients since the beginning of practice. Yet the development of the EMR did not begin with all the essential elements of the traditional record that were working, but instead shreds out important aspects of the patient.

Triangulation between three studies – medical, information technology and management studies.

An efficient EMR has to take into consideration more than just one area of study. The dynamics between departments and users of the EMR need an integrated process that includes the necessary pieces of all involved. This hole has not been addressed in academic literature.

The paper triangulates three areas – medicine, management and information management. Most research on the EMR focuses only on one or two of these areas’ concerns. Looking at the three sides of the EMR is important to get a solid understanding of the dynamics that can occur relaying a patient’s story through various departments and uses.

There is a depth, space and volume crucial to the comprehensive nature of medicine. With a perspective or dimension, necessary dialogues can be addressed and more intuitive tacit knowledge from medical expertise can be made available. A prototype, filling the holes of the observed elements in this paper, is possible by using digital objects and including more information than the data of the day. Bringing accountability to the patient, more expertise to the fingertips of the physician and available data for management purposes area are the key ingredients for an effective EMR.

With a comprehensive EMR that works more effectively for those who input the data, the patient’s story can be documented with more detailed efficiency. Filling the holes of the observed elements in this paper all support better healthcare and long-term results for the health of society.

The paper triangulates three areas – medicine, management and information management. Most research on the EMR focuses only on one or two of these areas’ concerns. Looking at the three sides of the EMR is important to get a solid understanding of the dynamics that can occur relaying a patient’s story through various departments and uses.

This paper examines existing research on the topic of personal health records (PHRs). Areas covered include PHR/patient portal, recordkeeping, preservation planning, access and provider needs for future reuse of health information. Patient and physician PHR use and functionality, as well as adoption facilitators and barriers, are also reviewed.

The paper engages in a review of relevant literature from a variety of subject domains, including personal information management, medical informatics, medical literature and archives and records management literature.

The review finds that PHRs are extensions of electronic records. In addition, it finds a lack of literature within archives and records management that may lead to a less preservation-centric examination of the new PHR technologies that are desirable for controlling the lifecycle of these important new records-type.

Although the issues presented by PHRs are issues that can best be solved with the use of techniques from records management, there is no current literature related to PHRs in the records management literature, and that offered in the medical informatics literature treats the stewardship aspects of PHRs as insurmountable. This paper offers an introduction to the aspects of PHRs that could fruitfully be examined in archives and records management.

Leaders in health-care organizations introducing electronic medical records (EMRs) face implementation challenges. The adoption of EMR by the emergency medical and ambulance setting is expected to provide wide-ranging benefits, but there is little research into the processes of adoption in this sector. The purpose of this study is to examine the introduction of EMR in a small emergency care organization and identify factors that aided adoption.

Semi-structured interviews with selected paramedics were followed up with a survey issued to all paramedics in the company.

The user interfaces with the EMR, and perceived ease of use, were important factors affecting adoption. Individual paramedics were found to have strong and varied preferences about how and when they integrated the EMR into their practice. As company leadership introduced flexibility of use, this enhanced both individual and collective ability to make sense of the change and removed barriers to acceptance.

This is a case study of one small organization. However, there may be useful lessons for other emergency care organizations adopting EMR.

Leaders introducing EMR in similar situations may benefit from considering a sense-making perspective and responding promptly to feedback.

The study contributes to a wider understanding of issues faced by leaders who seek to implement EMRs in emergency medical services, a sector in which there has been to date very little research on this issue.

The purpose of this paper is to explore physician sensemaking and readiness to implement electronic medical records (EMR) as a first step to finding strategies that enhance EMR adoption behaviors.

The case study approach provides a detailed analysis of individuals within an organizational unit. Using a theoretical lens of sensemaking and readiness for change gives a framework for triangulated inquiry.

Findings reveal that physicians' key sensemaking factors are alignment, expectations, symbols (i.e. voice activation technology), outside influences, emotional arousal, trust, faith, forced implementation, controlled influence, and clarification of identity. These factors collectively describe how physician derive meaning through innovation.

The findings elucidate physicians as autonomous learners utilizing innovative thought processes to prepare for EMR implementation. Physicians used innovation in EMR implementation as a method of controlled influence to clarify their identity as efficient, competent professionals who demand performance excellence.

These findings have implications for EMR implementation strategies and future research in innovation and EMR adoption behaviors.

This study provides needed information about how physicians grasp EMR technology in the practice of medicine and how it impacts their readiness to use EMR. Much is known about the barriers, difficulties, and benefits of EMR, but little is know about how physicians construct meaning from the use of this new technology.

This paper aims to explore the perceptions of facilitators and barriers to their using electronic medical records (EMRs) for these functions and contributes baseline data about the use of EMRs for chronic disease management. The sub‐study reported here is a baseline process evaluation of EMRs and their current use, preliminary to a larger, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial. Its purpose is to understand how EMRs are currently being used by primary care physicians to facilitate chronic disease prevention and screening in their practices.

This is a qualitative case study where the lead physician at each of eight primary care clinics (four in Alberta, four in Ontario) participated in semi‐structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Although EMRs are being used in a limited fashion for chronic disease prevention and screening, clinicians identified few current benefits. Participants noted some instances in which paper charts were preferred and that the lack of human and financial resources is inhibiting the use of chronic disease applications already incorporated in EMRs.

To understand fully how EMRs can best be used in the logistical management of chronic disease prevention and screening requires research efforts towards improvement of the data structures they contain.

Data extraction needs to be easier so that screening of patients, at risk or living with chronic disease, can be facilitated.

Evaluation of the benefits, for the content of care and care relationships, conferred by this new method of communicating, needs to be complemented by a parallel exploration of the risks.

The paper illustrates that with the tremendous investments in EMRs it is important to learn how changes in their design could facilitate improvements in patient care in this important area.

Aims to understand the managerial implications of the perceptions hospital physicians and nurses hold toward the introduction of electronic medical records (EMRS). In‐depth interviews were used with 18 hospital physicians and eight nurses from several different hospital wards at a large government‐run, university‐affiliated hospital in Israel, where EMRs were gradually introduced over the last 20 years. Physicians identified six different domains of impact. Senior physicians, most of whom held managerial roles, tended to emphasise managerial outcomes and to view these as positively affecting their organisations. Junior doctors emphasised mostly negative occupational effects of the EMR on their work – including limits to professional autonomy, heavier administrative burdens, and reinforcement of existing professional hierarchies. Nurses identified different domains and saw benefits for quality and administration of patient care.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the utility of clinical processes in healthcare institutions of different sizes. The implications of adoption rate of computerized physicians order entry (CPOE) and electronic medical/health records (EMRs/EHRs) in different sized healthcare institutions in the USA were studied in terms of understanding its impact on enhancement of quality of patient care.

This study has used secondary data to obtain insights on the processes and technologies used in hospitals of different sizes in the USA and enlighten those in the developing countries to adopt a strategy that would be most appropriate for them. The Dorenfest Institute for H.I.T. Research and Education Analytics database (The Dorenfest Institute, 2011) provided the data for 5,038 US hospitals. Logistic regression was performed to study the impact of the different types of processes and technologies on institutions of different sizes, classified based on the number of beds, physicians, and nurses.

The findings show that small sized hospitals had a positive relationship with drug dosing interactions process and nursing and clinician content process. On the contrary, medium sized hospitals had a negative relationship with the usage of CPOE for entering medical records, i.e. <25 percent (p<0.05). In order to be effective, these institutions should increase the usage of EMRs by more than 25 percent to get positive outcomes. Large hospitals showed a positive relationship with the usage of >75 percent of CPOE to enter medical records and usage of medical records >75 percent.

The authors demonstrate the need for an evaluation of utility of acute care hospitals based on hospital size in terms of number of physicians, and nurses, which have not been dealt earlier by the past studies. Moreover, there is also a need for an evaluation of utility of acute care hospitals for implementation of CPOEs and EMRs that are integrated with clinical decision support systems.

Although the data are US-centric, the insights provided by the results are very much relevant to the Indian scenario to support the improvement of the quality of care. The findings may help those implementing processes in healthcare institutions in India. No study has addressed the measurement of the positive and negative outcomes arising due to the implementation of different percentages of CPOEs and EMRs in different sized institutions. Further the number of physicians and nurses have not been considered earlier. Therefore, the authors have classified the hospitals based on physicians and nurses and studied their impact on the adoption of CPOEs, clinical decision support systems, and EMRs.