Diffusion of Electronic Medical Record Based Public Hospital Information Systems

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Information Systems
• Technology Adoption

Background:

• Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems are crucial for modern healthcare.
• Evaluating the adoption of new EMR-based information systems (IS) is vital for successful implementation.
• Understanding user behavior is key to optimizing healthcare technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the adoption behavior of a new EMR-based IS among doctors and nurses in Korean public hospitals.
• To analyze user satisfaction and identify factors influencing the adoption of the new IS.
• To apply Rogers' diffusion theory to understand the EMR system's integration process.

Main Methods:

• User satisfaction scores were collected across four performance layers.
• Data was gathered before and twice after the EMR-IS implementation.
• Rogers' diffusion theory guided the analysis of the adoption process.

Main Results:

• Doctors demonstrated high 'intention to use' scores (4.21) in the third survey, indicating strong adoption.
• Significant increases in 'reduced medication errors' were observed for both doctors and nurses.
• Key factors influencing adoption included training frequency, mandatory use, reduced errors, and decreased documentation time.

Conclusions:

• The new EMR-based IS was well-received and accepted by doctors.
• Both doctors and nurses reported positive perceptions of the IS's impact on their clinical settings.
• The study highlights successful EMR system adoption driven by user training and perceived benefits.