Journal of Isfahan Medical School

Journal of Isfahan Medical School

Policy Strategies for Implementing Electronic Medical Records in the Emergency Department of Isfahan Hospitals

Document Type : policy brief

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
10.48305/jims.v44.i859.0591
Abstract
This policy brief was developed based on the findings of a cross-sectional study conducted in the emergency departments of teaching hospitals under the auspices of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, including Al-Zahra, Kashani, and Amin. The main objective of the study was to identify the challenges of implementing the electronic health record system from the perspective of the main users, namely doctors and nurses. The findings showed that organizational challenges, including the increase in the workload of health service providers, the complexity of the admission and service delivery processes for emergency patients, and the lack of the necessary infrastructure for electronic transmission of records to other interested organizations, were the first priority. After that, technical, human, and financial challenges were ranked next, respectively. Given these results, policymaking for implementing electronic medical records in hospital emergency departments requires solving the problem by looking at different dimensions. In this regard, five strategies were introduced and explained, including "developing and standardizing technical and network infrastructure", "designing user-friendly acceptance and service delivery processes", "implementing continuous and motivational training programs", "developing security and privacy policies and guidelines", and "providing and allocating dedicated budgets". The effectiveness of these strategies requires a multidimensional perspective, phased implementation, trust and support of the human resources involved in the work, which, by considering facilities, incentives and fair payments in response to increased work tasks, strengthened the motivation to learn and respond in the newly launched system.

Highlights

Nahid Tavakoli: Google Scholar

Hossein Bagherian: Google Scholar

Keywords
Subjects

1.     Kabir M J, Heidari A, Khatirnamani Z, Moeeni S, Kazemi S B, Rahimi A. The prevalence and costs of non-urgent visits to the emergency department of public hospitals affiliated to Golestan University of Medical Sciences: A descriptive study [in Persian]. JMIS 2024; 9(4): 400-9.
2.     Kashani M. Intelligent referral system in electronic health records: A comprehensive review of models, challenges, and future perspectives [in Persian]. Journal of Modern Medical Informatics 2025; 11(1): 109-24.
3.     Haghshenas A, Ganjali Khan Hakemi A, Raofi S, Akhavan Rozat Sadat Damiri S, Nateghi S, Radin Manesh M. Explaining the challenges of electronic health prescription: a qualitative study [in Persian]. Hospital Journal 2024; 23(4): 378-94.
4.     Tavakoli N, Bagherian H. Prioritizing the challenges of implementing electronic medical records in hospital emergency departments [in Persian]. Journal of Health Information Management 2023; 20(2): 79-85.
5.     Shafaghat T, Askari R, Baharinia S, Ranjbar M, Rahimi M. The position of electronic health records in the Iranian health system; a document analysis study. Manage Strat Health Syst 2025; 10(2): 103-16.
 
Volume 44, Issue 859
3rd Week,June (Policy Brief)
May and June 2026
Pages 591-595

  • Receive Date 21 February 2026
  • Accept Date 20 April 2026