Evaluating Physician and Manager Perspectives on EHR Usage in Turkey: A Factor Analysis Approach

Understanding the perspectives of health professionals about Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is pivotal for better management of health information systems (HIS). The purpose of this study is to examine explanatory factors of usage of EHRs according to the physician and hospital manager's evaluations.

A survey was administered in three hospitals in the İzmir metropolitan area, and 202 physicians and hospital administrators participated in this study. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha (0.74), and the suitability of the factor analytical model was assessed using KMO (0.79) and Bartlett's test (X² = 1720.97, p < 0.001). Exploratory factor analysis was performed with Varimax rotation to determine the factors underlying the model. Then, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to reveal the latent structure of the model.

The performance of CFA model is statistically significant (p < 0.0001), acceptable at moderate level (X²/df = 3,81) the goodness-of-fit indices are good (CFI = 0,87; GFI = 0,76; NFI = 0,83; AGFI = 0,70). Three factors explain the latent structure of this model and evaluations of physician and hospital managers towards the usage of EHRs named as: benefits of usage of EHRs; concerns about the usage of EHRs and the effect of EHRs on the quality of work, efficiency, access to the information and safety.

Study results highlight the necessity of comprehending the EHR from the perspectives of health professionals and managers by focusing on the advantages of EHRs, concerns towards the deployment of EHR systems, and the improvement effects of EHR in work quality, efficiency, and HIS.