Exploring patient satisfaction before and after electronic health record (EHR) implementation: the Kuwait experience

Patient satisfaction has gained the focal position in well-planned healthcare delivery systems. The objective of this study was to investigate patient satisfaction with the quality of services provided before and after the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) at Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) in Kuwait. A self-developed questionnaire was used. A random sampling was used to select 700 subjects. The response rate was 74 percent. The majority of participants (67 percent) were 19 to 34 years of age. Of the participants, 63 percent were female and 92 percent were Kuwaiti nationals. Before EHR implementation, respondents' disagreement regarding the doctor's carefulness in conducting the examination, uses of medical terminology, explanations for medication given, and time given for a patient was more than 30 percent. Disagreement regarding the rest of the questions related to the patient/physician relationship after EHR implementation was also higher (25 percent to 39 percent).