Bridging the IT Adoption Gap for Small Physician Practices: An Action Research Study on Electronic Health Records

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an action research project to investigate the barriers to adoption and assimilation of electronic health records (EHRs) in small physician practices. The project draws on theories of technology-use mediation and communities of practice to develop interventions to promote adoption and integration of EHRs into chronic care management processes in these practice settings. The field results suggest that developing community-based knowledge and resources to assist physician organizations one-on-one may be essential for their effective utilization of EHRs.

KEYWORDS:

• electronic health record
• social effects of IT
• healthcare information technology
• IT adoption