Improving EMR System Adoption in Canadian Medical Practice: A Research Model

Fewer than one in four Canadian doctors use electronic medical record (EMR) systems, although almost all have some form of computer for scheduling and billing purposes. As a result, patient clinical records are mostly on paper, and are scattered and often inaccessible in doctors' offices, clinics, test centres, labs, and hospitals. To properly care for their patients, primary care practitioners must have access to all their relevant medical records. If these are in digital form, they can be stored and readily accessed on EMR systems. If they are not, there are often significant delays, duplication of effort, and even inaccuracy in diagnosing problems. Insufficient adoption of EMR systems is a highly complex problem that has not been addressed adequately in a comprehensive manner. There are many interdependent factors that influence adoption and these must be considered simultaneously. The objective of this proposed research is to develop and validate statistically a comprehensive theoretical model of EMR adoption through a national survey of users, to attempt to explain why medical practices in Canada have tended to be slow in adopting electronic medical records and related systems. This paper describes that model and its basis, including the methodology that will be used to analyze the data.