Best Practices for Implementing Electronic Care Records in Adult Social Care: Rapid Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Social Care Technology
• Digital Health Implementation

Background:

• Global rise in digital/electronic records in social care, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• UK government initiatives funding digital social care records adoption.
• Significant learning opportunities exist for digital care record implementation in adult social care.

Purpose of the Study:

• Rapid scoping review to understand digital care record implementation in adult social care.
• Analyze variations in implementation across use cases, settings, and contexts.
• Identify facilitators and barriers to successful digital care record adoption.

Main Methods:

• Rapid scoping review methodology utilizing amended processes.
• Searches across multiple databases (MEDLINE, EmCare, Web of Science, etc.) for digital care records, social care, and interoperability.
• Thematic analysis mapped findings against the nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework.

Main Results:

• 31 studies from 29 references across 11 countries (UK most represented).
• Studies focused on nursing homes, older adults, and health records.
• Identified 45 facilitators and 102 barriers, spanning 6 NASSS domains.

Conclusions:

• Digital care record implementation is complex, lacking consensus on definitions and outcomes.
• Literature often lacks clear definitions and robust study designs.
• Future research requires defined target populations, user experience data, and social care-specific focus.