The impact of electronic medical records' functions on the quality of health services

Abstract

Background/aims Electronic medical records are the most common E-health application and they are starting to be implemented worldwide. In Jordan, the introduction of electronic medical records helps to improve quality and reduce service costs. This article aimed to examine how the implementation of electronic medical records impacted health service quality in Jordan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordanian hospitals that used electronic medical records. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which 582 healthcare professionals returned. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to perform descriptive and statistical analyses. Results The results showed that there was a statistically significant impact when using electronic medical records. These findings were divided into two categories: function (practice management, communication, documentation or data entry, and medication management) and on the quality of services (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy). Conclusions The research indicated that using electronic medical records improved the quality of health services.