Ranking the micro level critical factors of electronic medical records adoption using topsis method

Abstract

In many countries, the health care sector is entering into a time of unprecedented change. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) has been introduced into healthcare organizations in order to incorporate better use of technology, to aid decision making, and to facilitate the search for medical solution. This needs those professionals in healthcare organizations to be in the process of changing from the use of paper to maintain medical records into computerized medical recordkeeping opportunities. However, the adoption of these electronic medical records systems has been slow throughout the healthcare field. The critical users are physicians which play an important role to success of health information technology including Electronic Medical Record systems. As a result user adoption is necessary in order to understand the benefits of an EMR. Therefore, in the current paper, a model of ranking factors of micro-level in EMRs adoption was developed. Surveys distributed to physicians as this study’s respondent in two private hospitals in Malaysia. The findings indicate that physicians have a high perception means for the technology and showed that EMR would increase physician’s performance regarding to decision making. They have been and continue to be positively motivated to adopt and use the system. The relevant factors according to micro-level perspective prioritized and ranked by using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The aim of ranking and using this approach is to investigate which factors are more important in EMRs adoption from the micro-level perspectives. The results of performing TOPSIS is as a novelty which assist health information systems (HIS) success and also healthcare organizations to motivate their users in accepting of new technology.