Improving EMR System Adoption in Canadian Medical Practice: A Research Model and Survey Proposal

Working Paper #22 by Norm Archer and Mihail Cocosila, January 2008.

The problem

Fewer than one in four Canadian doctors used EMR systems.
Each year: over 100 million examinations, 500 million tests, 382 million prescriptions.
Records were scattered across offices, clinics, labs and hospitals.
Fax, phone or mail transfers caused significant diagnostic delays.
Incompatible systems created problems when records moved between settings.
Errors, duplication, higher costs and reduced quality of care followed.
Non-adoption was described as highly complex.