Ceiling effect in EMR system assimilation: a multiple case study in primary care family practices.

Background: There has been indisputable growth in adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems in the recent years. However, physicians' progress in using these systems has stagnated when measured with maturity scales. While this so-called ceiling effect has been observed and its consequences described in previous studies, there is a paucity of research on the elements that could explain such an outcome.

Electronic health record usage behaviors in primary care medical practices: A survey of family physicians in Canada.

Objective: The importance and potential value of office-based electronic health record (EHR) systems is being recognized internationally. We thus sought to better understand how EHRs are actually being used by family physicians and what they perceive to be the main performance outcomes for themselves and their medical practices.

Methods: We conducted a survey of family physicians practicing in medical practices in Quebec, Canada (n =331).

Improving performance in medical practices through the extended use of electronic medical record systems: a survey of Canadian family physicians.

Background: Numerous calls have been made for greater assimilation of information technology in healthcare organizations in general, and in primary care settings in particular. Considering the levels of IT investment and adoption in primary care medical practices, a deeper understanding is needed of the factors leading to greater performance outcomes from EMR systems in primary care. To address this issue, we developed and tested a research model centered on the concept of Extended EMR Use.

Barriers to organizational adoption of EMR systems in family physician practices: a mixed-methods study in Canada.

Background: EMR system can provide three main types of benefits: it can solve the logistical organization problems associated with paper systems; it can improve the quality of professionals' clinical decisions; and it can improve physicians' return on their practices by reducing the cost of managing clinical information. According to the 2012 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, Canada ranked 10th out of 11 countries in terms of family physicians' adoption of EMR systems. Our main purpose is to investigate the reasons why so many primary care medical practices in this country have not decided to invest in these systems yet.