For decades, public hospitals have relied on managing records manually using different formats of classification. However, driven by an eHealth strategy, hospitals in South Africa are now changing to electronic health records (EHR) systems for their day-to-day functioning. Earlier studies conducted on health records management in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape, all point to minimal evidence of change management in EHR system implementation in public hospitals. This paper presents empirical results of an investigation into the management of change in the implementation of an EHR system at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Public Hospital in the eThekwini area of KZN. The findings show that an ill-defined change management approach in the EHR system implementation hinders the progress of the implementation and thus the improvement of health service delivery. The study recommends that the implementation of a robust and functional EHR system be accompanied equally by a viable, parallel and executable change management blueprint.

Hospitals are complex to operate, particularly in the implementation of electronic health records systems. The implementation and use of electronic health records (EHR) management in hospitals requires management to reinforce change and sustain results for good end results. The purpose of this chapter is to unveil tools used by public and private hospital management to reinforce change and sustain results in the implementation of electronic health records systems. Both public and private hospital are based in the eThekwini Municipality. The conceptual framework based on Kotter Leading Change Model was comprehensively discussed. The findings of the study revealed that there are no standard guidelines for both public and private hospitals in the implementation of EHR system in hospitals. Clarity regarding change management policies and procedures in the implementation of EHR system in both public and private hospitals is required. The study recommends that both public and private hospitals tools to reinforce change and sustain results in the implementation of electronic health records management need to be developed and officially documented.