Factors Impacting Providers' Perceptions Regarding a Midwestern University-Based EMR

The potential for Information Technology (IT) to enhance the healthcare provision has long been recognized. One application of IT in healthcare, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems, has generated particular interest. Technical and structural barriers are often analyzed to understand EMR deployment. This study sought to examine cultural barriers to better explain the potential success and failure of EMRs. Successful EMR implementations are of interest to telemedicine researchers as they provide an IT infrastructure on which many telemedicine applications can be built. This investigation sought to understand the role and impact of individual and organizational issues on perceptions regarding EMRs by providers now employing an EMR system at Michigan State University (MSU). A 144-item survey was administered to 41 participants and descriptive statistics were employed for data analyses. Data indicated that providers reported mixed results regarding perceptions of EMRs at MSU. More than 45% of the respondents reported that they consider the MSU EMR system a bad choice. Yet, these same providers reported high levels of satisfaction across multiple aspects of system usability. Demographic variables did not emerge as highly correlated with perceptions of the EMR system at MSU. However, positive perceptions about EMRs in general were highly correlated with positive perceptions of the EMR system at MSU. Because results indicate that perceptions of the impacts of EMRs in general are more often correlated with perceptions of a specific EMR implementation than demographic variables, health organizations should focus their energies on EMR education and training.