Survey of Possibility Deployment of Electronic Medical Record in Shiraz Teaching Hospitals

Electronic Medical records is one of the new technologies for utilization of patient's health information known as a system to access the valuable information in hospitals. The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of Electronic Medical Records system deployment from the perspective of medical records staff at Shiraz teaching hospitals. This study was a descriptive analytical and cross-sectional study, the data of which were collected through a questionnaire. The study population consisted of all the staff working at medical record department in Shiraz teaching hospitals. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.17 software, descriptive statistical methods, and one-way ANOVA test. Among the studied hospitals, the rate of awareness with electronic medical record was high (x = 3.66), and there were kind of technical, organizational, and legal requirements among these hospitals. There were not significant differences among hospitals (P-value> 0.05). Four of the six hospitals were properly ready in preparation for the deployment of electronic medical records, and two of them were somewhat prepared to deploy their electronic medical records. It is suggested that authorities take the necessary decisions to implement and enforce electronic medical records regarding its technical, organizational, and legal requirements.