The document discusses three major barriers to implementing a national electronic health record (EHR) system in the Philippines: 1) Lack of clear governance and policies around EHR use limits interoperability and introduces privacy/security risks. 2) Healthcare professionals resist transitioning from paper to digital records due to lack of training and increased workload. 3) Upfront financial costs of developing new software/hardware and training staff are challenging without dedicated budgets.

1. Barriers to Electronic
Health Record Adoption
Coursework 3 - MI 227 Clinical Laboratory Information System
Villareal, Mary Grace A.
24 February 2016
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES- MANILA MS HEALTH INFORMATICS

2. Coursework Scenario
You have been selected to be the project manager for a DOH project with the task
of implementing a national EHR that all government hospitals will implement. Select
at least three barriers to EHR implementation from the article that you believe to be the
most important ones that might adversely affect your implementation. Explain and
provide supporting cases/articles/information.
Governance - Law and Policies on EHR Implementation
The use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in other countries was widely supported
because of clear governance provided by their National Health Sector as well as drafted
incentives for Health Workers. This is especially crucial because the use and limitations of
use of EHR in our country is not clearly defined yet. In addition, the country has not been
able to provide Medical Professionals, Hospital, Insurance companies policies that can
support it’s use.
Parallel to these private and some government institutions alike resort to hiring
consultants to aid with their needs. The scope of the implemented information then varies
with what the institution has bought or developed, leaving little to no room for
interoperability among other health care services. Issues aising from ownership of data
and extent to which it shall be used alongside with other providers are a threat to privacy
and security issues. Client’s billing/insurance information shoud commit that the
practice’s information is kept separately and not accesible to other practices/providers.
Not having proper governance stems many conflicts in EHR adoption, there may be
laws that support IT issues but doesn’t clearly address topics specifically medical in
nature.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES- MANILA MS HEALTH INFORMATICS

3. Change Process - Transition from Paper to Digital Records
Medical professionals has been praciticing ther work through theoretical studies and
training, not included in their training are adapting work styles to accomodate EHR use.
Their focus is with bedside care and patient encounter, only minimal time is alloted in
from of computer screens and work-stations. Switch and transition from paper to digital
data is not a priority in EHR training, causing slow adoption and resistance from some
users.
Administrators and department heads should clearly define the changes and
outcome of the system once operational. Studies of how their workflow should help in
integrating the system after training is done. Users report that they lack the time to learn
and would slow down their work and in the end increasing workload. Proper training
initiatives that can lead to users mastering the system that will yield beneficial results
according to some researchers.
Financial Cost
Since the laws drafted for budget allocation are not available yet, proper allocation
on the expenses for obtaining/developing new software, hardware and manpower to lead
the transition from paper-based records. As the secretary of our national health agency, I
would form a committee that shall study the best way to justify a budget allocation for the
development of a National Health Information system, and best practices that will bring
our system upto speed with ones utilized/standard abroad.
We understand early on that this field is complex, but little by little we are exposed
to the extent of that complexity. The government has now played an active role in
building a national health information system. By employing the help of Key Influencers,
a Technical Working Group and Steering Committee was created. Their knowledge and
expertise on the field gave our the country a framework it needs to move forward, but the
hard and taxing labour doesn't end there.
To engage stakeholders with this endeavor to advance eHealth in our country, we
must make it so that they know that they are not spending money but rather investing for
the future, to bring access, quality and empowerment to each citizen.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES- MANILA MS HEALTH INFORMATICS

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES- MANILA MS HEALTH INFORMATICS