The Evaluation of SEPAS National Project Based on Electronic Health Record System (EHRS) Coordinates in Iran

Abstract

Background:Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are secure private lifetime records that can be shared by using interoperability standards between different organizations and units. These records are created by the productive system that is called EHR system. Implementing EHR systems has a number of advantages such as facilitating access to medical records, supporting patient care, and improving the quality of care and health care decisions. The project of electronic health record system in Iran, which is the goal of this study, is called SEPAS. With respect to the importance of EHR and EHR systems the researchers investigated the project from two perspectives: determining the coordinates of the project and how it evolved, and incorporating the coordinates of EHR system in this project.Methods:In this study two evaluation tools, a checklist and a questionnaire, were developed based on texts and reliable documentation. The questionnaire and the checklist were validated using content validity by receiving the experts’ comments and the questionnaire’s reliability was estimated through Test-retest(r =87%). Data were collected through study, observation, and interviews with experts and specialists of SEPAS project.Results:This research showed that SEPAS project, like any other project, could be evaluated. It has some aims; steps, operational phases and certain start and end time, but all the resources and required facilities for the project have not been considered. Therefore it could not satisfy its specified objective and the useful and unique changes which are the other characteristics of any project have not been achieved. In addition, the findings of EHR system coordinates can be determined in 4 categories as Standards and rules, Telecommunication-Communication facilities, Computer equipment and facilities and Stakeholders.Conclusions:The findings indicated that SEPAS has the ability to use all standards of medical terminology and health classification systems in the case of Maksa approval (The reference health coding of Iran). ISO13606 was used as the main standard in this project. Regarding the telecommunication-communication facilities of the project, the findings showed that its link is restricted to health care centers which does not cover other institutions and organizations involved in public health. The final result showed that SEPAS is in the early stages of execution. And the full implementation of EHR needs the provision of the infrastructure of the National Health Information Network that is the same as EHR system.

Usability Evaluation of an Admission, Discharge, and Transfer Information System: A Heuristic Evaluation

“…The findings of the usability evaluations of Agharezaee [ 6 ], Abedi and Khajouei [ 16 ], Thyvalikakath [ 17 ] and Verheul [ 18 ] on other HISs as well as electronic health records also showed numerous usability problems in the principle of “consistency and standards”. As well, findings of Sadoghi [ 19 ], Meydani [ 20 ] and Asadi [ 21 ] illustrated that the standards are not adopted in HISs, while access to standard data in an organised format to provide appropriate and on-time healthcare service is highly significant [ 22 ]. It seems that the HISs have the same usability problems.…”

Determining Hospital Information System (HIS) Success Rate: Development of a New Instrument and Case Study

“…The findings of the study by Asadi et al, [32] revealed that information systems in Iran are mainly focused on financial objectives. Our findings revealed that mean system use among users of the nursing management department and psychiatric departments is generally low.…”

Messaging stndard requirements for electronic health records in Islamic Republic of Iran: a Delphi study

“…Development and use of messaging standards for EHRs are needed for information exchange (1)(2)(3)(4), and the absence of standards and lack of coordination between systems have made healthcare data sharing difficult (5)(6)(7)(8). Lack of standards also hinders the widespread use of EHRs and integrated systems in healthcare services in the Islamic Republic of Iran.…”