Factors Influencing Health Professionals' Attitudes Towards Electronic Medical Record Implementation in Ethiopian Hospitals: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Study (2023) (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Despite Ethiopia's keen interest in adopting Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, the acceptance rate remains low, primarily due to health professionals' attitudes towards new technology. Understanding the factors influencing these attitudes is crucial for successful EMR implementation. This study aimed to evaluate health professionals' attitudes and associated factors towards EMR implementation in Ethiopian hospitals in 2023. OBJECTIVE To assess the attitudes of health professionals towards the implementation of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems in Ethiopian hospitals and identify the factors associated with their attitudes. METHODS Multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in piloted hospitals in Ethiopia from April 30 to May 15, 2023. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 397 participants from the three selected hospitals. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, cleaned, coded, inputted into EpiData software (version 4.6), and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed, with a significance level of p < 0.05 and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals used to identify associated factors. RESULTS A total of 382 health professionals participated, yielding a response rate of 96.2%. Among the respondents, 184(48.2%) had a favorable attitude towards the implementation of the EMR system. In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with attitude included age ≤ 29 years (Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR): 3.05; 95% CI: 1.58, 5.9), computer literacy (AOR: 2.66; 95% CI: 1.16-6.09), training on the EMR system (AOR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.80-4.56)) and health professionals’ knowledge of EMR (AOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.10-2.96). CONCLUSIONS Nearly half of the respondents displayed low attitudes towards EMR implementation. Age, knowledge, computer literacy, and training access were significantly associated with attitudes towards the EMR systems. Enhancing health professionals’ attitudes and integrating tailored training within the healthcare system are crucial for advancing EMR utilization.