Achieving excellence in Electronic Health Record deployment in Middle East hospitals

Some healthcare organizations deployed information technology to improve outcomes, reduce medication errors, increase healthcare efficiency, and eliminate unnecessary costs. However, few studies have been devoted to understanding the process of implementing information systems in hospitals and the drivers of success. In this paper we introduce the experience of one of the leading health organization in Saudi Arabia in implementing a Comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. The paper summarizes the 10-year effort of the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) towards automating its processes. This effort resulted in receiving the Middle East excellence award in EHR in 2010. The realized benefits gained from the system implementation are explained and the lessons learned are discussed.