Abstract:
d Electronic health record (EHR) systems
are mentioned in several studies as tools for improving
healthcare quality in developed and developing nations.
However, there is a research gap in presenting the status
of EHR adoption in low-income countries (LICs). Therefore,
this study systematically reviews articles that discuss
the adoption of EHR systems status, opportunities and
challenges for improving healthcare quality in LICs.
Methods We used Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in articles selected
from PubMed, Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, citations and
manual searches. We focused on peer-reviewed articles
published from January 2017 to 30 September 2022, and
those focusing on the status, challenges or opportunities
of EHR adoption in LICs. However, we excluded articles
that did not consider EHR in LICs, reviews or secondary
representations of existing knowledge. Joanna Briggs
Institute checklists were used to appraise the articles to
minimise the risk of bias.
Results We identified 12 studies for the review. The
finding indicated EHR systems are not well implemented
and are at a pilot stage in various LICs. The barriers to EHR
adoption were poor infrastructure, lack of management
commitment, standards, interoperability, support,
experience and poor EHR systems. However, healthcare
providers’ perception, their goodwill to use EMR and the
immaturity of health information exchange infrastructure
are key facilitators for EHR adoption in LICs.
Conclusion Most LICs are adopting EHR systems,
although it is at an early stage of implementation. EHR
systems adoption is facilitated or influenced by people,
environment, tools, tasks and the interaction among these
factors.
