Non-tech-savvy doctors and EMR navigation difficulties

Adopting and implementing information technology in the field of healthcare is very essential today. By embracing information technology, healthcare can get benefited in many ways. It is possible to reduce medical errors, offer the best possible and practical method of communication, share information to clinicians in a proper form, and easily manage patient records through information technology.

One of the leading causes of many deaths is a medical error. In most cases, complications arouse due to misplaced, lost, illegible medical records. This is the reason today it became mandatory for healthcare industry to implement electronic medical record systems. Through this technology, it is possible to reduce most of the issues mentioned above. Along with this, it also helps in improving patient care and health.

EMR or Electronic Medical Records

The electronic medical record is nothing but a medical information system which is computerized. This helps in collecting, storing, as well as displaying patient information. EMR can be utilized as a means for creating organized and legible records. Along with this, they can also be used to access the clinical data which is stored for individual patients. EMR is also well known as Electronic Health Records. These two terms are mostly used as interchangeable synonyms in the field of health informatics.

Institute of Medicine has already suggested adopting EMR systems in wide scale so that it becomes easy to improve patient safety along with providing health care quality. Along with this, EMR may also reduce costs which are needed to provide ambulatory care. Even though there are many benefits which can be achieved through implementing these EMR systems, there are many barriers too, for this adoption. The main barrier being non-tech-savvy doctors who are experiencing difficulties with navigation and usage of EMR systems compared to the doctors of the new generation.

So, even though there is broad agreement on the advantages of these EMR systems, health care providers are very slow in adopting these new technologies. The barrier can be lack of readiness which results in weakness of the organization in terms of transforming when the implementation of EMR happens. The slow rate of this adoption is mainly due to resistance showed by physicians since they are the primary frontline users for these electronic medical record systems.

So, if they start using the EMR system, it can influence and motivate other user groups present in the healthcare organization. So, if doctors get comfortable with these EMR systems then nurses, administrative staff and other staff will slowly get adopted to these systems. So, it is said that physicians are the ones who make a significant impact when it comes to overall implementation and adoption of the EMR.

So many studies and reports have already shown that the improvement and adoption of EMR are entirely dependent on physicians. They should start using EMR for their daily tasks and must avoid paper. Doctors who are already using medical transcription services may find it difficult even to access the features and options which are provided by EMR systems. The adoption, as well as usage of electronic medical records, has already become policy in most of the countries, and this is implemented to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare systems. Even after implementing EMR, most of the doctors feel that it is a tiresome job working with EMR and they start hating these entries which once they used to love.

Implementation of EMR and barriers

Let’s look into some of the barriers which are encountered when adopting and implementing EMR systems in health care organizations.

Time

Usually, in the case of EMR implementations, physicians do not involve entirely and spend time understanding the EMR system. They must take some time and get familiar with the products available, choose an EMR and then implement the same. They should also spend time getting some training on this system. So, if they spend extra time than expected and even after training didn’t get used to the system, then it can be a significant barrier.

Cost

Physicians should always think about the weigh costs which are needed to create and support their applications and IT structure. They should also consider the costs if they use external vendors for providing services. Some of the costs which may come up are coordination costs, purchase costs, negotiating costs, monitoring costs, governance costs, and upgrade costs. These are the costs which may become contrary when we think of benefits provided by EMR systems. If small or medium-sized practices are thinking about implementing EMR which do not have IT budgets, these costs can become the most significant barriers for them.

Computer skills

The physicians and administrative staffs must possess many skills like listening appropriately to their patient’s issues, contemplate interventions, and assess medical relevance. Along with these they should also have vital skills when it comes to typing skills, understand user interface, and high level of concentration to work on the EMRs. These are even not seen in routine computer users. In most of the cases, EMR providers underestimate the computer skills which are required by the end users like physicians and other staffs. Even though it looks effortless for the EMR providers, it may become highly complicated for end users of EMR systems. Moreover expecting excellent typing skills from physicians can be unreal and most of the physicians lack this. Younger generation doctors and administrative staff are good at computer skills, they feel convenient when it comes to creating charts on their own rather than using scribes provided by the system.

Security and privacy

Even though there is much evidence about security and privacy which is provided by EMR systems, even today non-users think that there are risks related to confidentiality of the information. So, even today they feel paper records are much secured compared to EMR records. But the truth is EMR systems come with added features when it comes to security, confidentiality, and privacy.

User communication

Communication which happens among the users through interchanging thoughts, information, and their opinions may be through writing or speech. So, this communication among the users is the critical factor which can contribute significantly to user acceptance of EMR systems.

Complexity

EMR systems come with multidisciplinary options, screens, and even navigational aids. This may look like a barrier for most of the staffs. So, all the physicians and administrative staff must spend a lot of time spending efficient ways of using EMR. Even though the system looks simple and straightforward for developers or EMR system providers, it can become highly complex for healthcare staff.