Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of electronic dental and oral records in clinics of School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran: A qualitative study

The high-quality data are essential for good patient care, optimal management of oral and dental diseases, and policy-making. Electronic dental and oral records have a key role in managing data in health care organizations. Aim of this article is analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of electronic dental and oral record implementation in clinics of School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from stakeholder perspectives. A qualitative interpretive case study was conducted at clinics of School of Dentistry in Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews involved asking questions and getting answers from 15 participants. They were informed about SWOT of electronic dental and oral records. Data were gathered by two researchers during two months. After fulfilling all interviews, all participants were asked to review the transcript and confirm its accuracy. All raw data and recorded interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed by two researchers. The main features in SWOT analysis of electronic dental and oral records were respectively transparency of project implementation stages, absence of mandatory rules and standard business processes, expert and motivated specialists, and finally lack of cultural infrastructure. Use of electronic dental and oral records can help to improve quality of information and ultimately leads to improvement in quality of care. SWOT analysis is an optimal technique for understanding SWOT of electronic dental and oral records.