Is the adoption of electronic health record system “contagious”?

Theories Informing eHealth Implementation: Systematic Review and Typology Classification

Background

Theory-guided approaches to implementation science have informed translation efforts and the acceptance of eHealth (digital health) interventions in clinical care. However, there is scarce evidence on which theories are best suited to addressing the inherent complexity of eHealth implementation.

Objective

The objectives of this systematic review are to identify theories that inform and explain eHealth implementation and to classify these theories using the typology by Sovacool and Hess for theories of sociotechnical change.

Methods

An electronic search was conducted in the PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Sociological Source Ultimate, Web of Science, ABI/INFORM, EBSCO, and ProQuest databases in June 2019. Studies were included if they were published between 2009 and June 2019; were written in English; reported on empirical research, regardless of study or publication type; reported on one or more theories in the context of eHealth implementation; and were published in a peer-reviewed journal. A total of 2 reviewers independently assessed the titles, abstracts, and full texts. Theories identified were classified using a typology for theories of sociotechnical change, which was considered a useful tool for ordering and analyzing the diverse theoretical approaches as a basis for future theory building.

Results

Of the 13,101 potentially relevant titles, 119 studies were included. The review identified 36 theories used to explain implementation approaches in eHealth. The most commonly used approaches were the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (n=33) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (n=32). These theories were primarily concerned with individual and interpersonal elements of eHealth acceptance. Less common were theories that reflect the various disorderly social processes and structural dimensions of implementation, such as the normalization process theory (n=17) and the structuration theory (n=6).

Conclusions

Theories currently informing the implementation of eHealth interventions predominantly focus on predicting or explaining end-user acceptance. Theoretical perspectives that capture the dense and intricate relationships and structures required to enact sustainable change are less well represented in the eHealth literature. Given the growing acknowledgment of the inherent complexity of eHealth implementation, future research should develop and test models that recognize and reflect the multidimensional, dynamic, and relational nature of this process.

Investigation the success rate of hospital information system (HIS): Development of a questionnaire and case study

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The implantation of hospital information systems (HISs) has grown dramatically in recent years. Understanding the success rate of HIS is key in health organizations. In this study, a validated questionnaire for HISs evaluation based on the Information System Success Model (ISSM) has been provided. In addition, the HIS success rate was determined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The current study was conducted at one of the largest teaching hospitals in eastern Iran. The 44-items questionnaire was developed for data gathering. The questionnaire covered ISSM dimensions, which include analysis of quality system, quality of information, quality service, system use, usefulness, satisfaction, and net benefits. Content validity, constructs validity, and reliability of the ISSM questionnaire was measured. HIS success rate has been determined and categorized based on users' perspective as follows: appropriate (75%≤HIS success rate), moderate (50%≤HIS success rate<75%), low coverage (25%≤HIS success rate<50%), and poor (coverage rate<25%).

RESULTS

In total, 253 users participated in the study. The ISSM questionnaire was validated by an expert panel with CVI: 85.12% and CVR: 88.22%. The overall Cronbach's alpha value of the instrument was determined as 92.2%. Nine factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00 were identified, jointly accounting for 66.91% of the total variance. The value of KMO was.866 showed that the sample size was adequate for factor analysis. The highly significant Bartlett's test (p<0.000) indicated that variables were correlated and the factor analysis was appropriate. Our results demonstrated that the total mean of HIS success was "moderate" base on the users' point of view.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the current study, provide valuable scientific evidence for key affecting factors on hospital EHR in Iran as a developing country.

Investigating Evaluation Frameworks for Electronic Health Record: A Literature Review

BACKGROUND: There are various electronic health records (EHRs) evaluation frameworks with multiple dimensions and numerous sets of evaluation measures, while the coverage rate of evaluation measures in a common framework varies in different studies. AIM: This study provides a literature review of the current EHR evaluation frameworks and a model for measuring the coverage rate of evaluation measures in EHR frameworks. METHODS: The current study was a comprehensive literature review and a critical appraisal study. The study was conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, a literature review of EHR evaluation frameworks was conducted. In Phase 2, a three-level hierarchical structure was developed, which includes three aspects, 12 dimensions, and 110 evaluation measures. Subsequently, evaluation measures in the identified studies were categorized based on the hierarchical structure. In Phase 3, relative frequency (RF) of evaluation measures in different dimensions and aspects for each of the identified studies were determined and categorized as follows: Appropriate, moderate, and low coverage. RESULTS: Out of a total of 8276 retrieved articles, 62 studies were considered relevant. The RF range in the second and third level of the hierarchical structure was between 8.6%–91.94% and 0.2%–61%, respectively. “Ease of use” and “system quality” were the most frequent evaluation measure and dimension. Our results indicate that identified studies cover at least one and at most nine evaluation dimensions and current evaluation frameworks focus more on the technology aspect. Almost in all identified studies, evaluation measures related to the technology aspect were covered. However, evaluation measures related to human and organization aspects were covered in 68% and 84% of the identified studies, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study, we systematically reviewed all literature presenting any type of EHR evaluation framework and analyzed and discussed their aspects and features. We believe that the findings of this study can help researchers to review and adopt the EHR evaluation frameworks for their own particular field of usage.

Exploring the Determinants of Mobile Health Adoption by Hospitals in China: Empirical Study

BACKGROUND

Although mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to transform health care by delivering better outcomes at a much lower cost than traditional health care services, little is known about mHealth adoption by hospitals.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the determinants of mHealth adoption by hospitals using the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework.

METHODS

We conducted an interviewer-administered survey with 87 managers in Chinese public hospitals and analyzed the data using logistic regression.

RESULTS

The results of our survey indicate that perceived ease of use (β=.692; P<.002), system security (β=.473; P<.05), top management support (β=1.466; P<.002), hospital size (β=1.069; P<.004), and external pressure (β=.703; P<.005) are significantly related to hospitals' adoption of mHealth. However, information technology infrastructure (β=.574; P<.02), system reliability (β=-1.291; P<.01), and government policy (β=2.010; P<.04) are significant but negatively related to hospitals' adoption of mHealth.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that TOE model works in the context of mHealth adoption by hospitals. In addition to technological predictors, organizational and environmental predictors are critical for explaining mHealth adoption by Chinese hospitals.

Electronic Health Records and Meaningful Use in Local Health Departments: Updates From the 2015 NACCHO Informatics Assessment Survey

This study provides an updated view using the most recent data to identify the primary storage of clinical data, status of data for meaningful use, and characteristics associated with the implementation of electronic health records in local health departments.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are evolving the scope of operations, practices, and outcomes of population health in the United States. Local health departments (LHDs) need adequate health informatics capacities to handle the quantity and quality of population health data.