Electronic medical records and health care promotion in Saudi Arabia.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	AlSadrah, Sana A.
Copyright Year	2020
Abstract	A few decades ago, the government of Saudi Arabia introduced electronic medical records (EMRs) in some health care facilities. However, the progress in adopting these systems on a national level was slow. In 2008, the Saudi Ministry of Health started an initiative to expand and optimize the use of EMRs in governmental health care institutions. However, some obstacles facing this ambitious plan remain, including negative attitudes of some health care professionals toward EMR systems. Other barriers include poor computer literacy, lack of system customization to hospital needs, and poor support and training from information technology (IT) personnel. Identifying and addressing these barriers is essential for the optimal application of EMR systems in all health care facilities. In this review, the author focused on the benefits of widespread adoption of EMRs in Saudi Arabia, the perceptions of health care professionals, and the challenges and barriers toward improved implementation of this technology.
ISSN	03795284
Journal	Saudi Medical Journal
Volume Number	41
PubMed Central reference number	PMC7502938
Issue Number	6
PubMed reference number	32518923
e-ISSN	16583175
DOI	10.15537/smj.2020.6.25115
Language	English
Publisher	Saudi Medical Journal
Publisher Date	2020-06-01
Publisher Place	Saudi Arabia
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal
Subject Keyword	electronic medical records health care health promotion primary care
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Medicine