Global EMR Adoption: Key Challenges and Limitations

Adopting an EMR system, as with every digital technology, is a complicated process with a list of challenges that clinics face depending on the technology development level in their country. Still, there are a bunch of common issues that are typical for any facility in the world, caused by a bunch of human factors and formatting differentiation issues.

The European Dental Federation summarized these problems in their recent Consensus Statement, and in this review, we summarize its fresh insights regarding the topic.

The Way of Technology Adoption

The global EMR adoption rate is rapidly growth. However, even some of the most developed Western countries' national health record systems are still in the planning stage. The Consensus Statement demonstrates some of the most recent statistics across the globe.

As we can see, the adoption rate is very contrasting due to various specific factors, including law policies, local technological level, etc. Still, the paper defines a list of common limitations that health authorities and clinics face in any part of the world trying to implement EMR/EHR technologies:

Scarcity of literature – there is a notable lack of scientific research on cases of integrated EHR systems that combine dental and medical data, which limits our ability to evaluate actual EMR/EHR integration effectiveness and usability.
Institutional focus – most of the existing research on the topic is focused on EMR implementation in hospitals and other large institutions. Still, there are only a few studies about small-scale clinics that provide a significant part of dental care.
Lack of standardization – almost no worldwide recognized standards for EHR data format and dental health indicators exist, significantly limiting the ability to create a global EHR network.

These crucial issues require deep collaboration between health authorities to be solved, and unfortunately, private healthcare providers can do little to enhance this process. Still, we have observed notable progress in that direction in recent years. Thus, the HL7 format is considered an international standard for data exchange between clinics, regulators, and other related facilities.

The most prominent digitalization initiatives, like a NABIDH system in Dubai (as systems from other emirates), use this format in the national electronic health records environment.

Common barriers to technology adoption

However, the Consensus Statement also highlights a few practical challenges that affect each case of EMR integration in healthcare facilities of every size.

Cost and income – the data digitalization process requires a lot of money, and its economic advantages may not be apparent at the first time:

To reduce integration expenses, you should form strategies based on existing systems rather than trying to replace them.
You should be prepared to see the real advantages of the newly integrated EMR system only with time, as it guarantees long-term success.

Data and security – the safety of health information is a crucial element of every EMR system:

Digitalization of large amounts of paper data may cause data overload when essential documents are suddenly obscured. Therefore, this process requires special attention.
Depending on the country, you may face various legal and security requirements that must be fulfilled before you can start providing healthcare services. For instance, an extensive NUMR program in the UAE offers such facility requirements for local providers.
Regardless of your location, you must choose an EMR system with high data privacy and security levels to prevent a leak of patients' personal information.

Stakeholder engagement – one of the most critical factors of technology integration is its acceptance by the clinic's staff:

Sometimes, you may face resistance from professionals in EMR adoption due to their commitment to traditional methods, skepticism, etc., that you should solve with gradual staff training problem.
Different systems have different usability, and finding the right one for your clinic is crucial because the abundance of unnecessary functions may significantly improve its feasibility and create additional complications in use.

If you decide to digitalize your clinic and add EMR systems into practice, you should consider the abovementioned factors as a first roadmap for an integration plan to avoid fundamental obstacles. You can also contact us to receive a presentation of our suitable web-based EMR app, during which we will consult you on how you may start your digitalization in the UAE.

Additionally, do not forget to read our insightful articles about the dental practice digitalization:

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