Improving Electronic Health Records for Non-Swedish Speaking Refugees : A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract Information and communication technology is used in healthcare in Sweden to improve health quality. Electronic Health Records are one of the technologies in healthcare which can increase a patient’s involvement in his/her healthcare and decision-making related to it. The patient can discuss the treatments, analyses and medical information stored in Electronic Health Records. The aim in this study is to investigate how the Electronics Health Records can be improved to motivate refugees in Sweden who cannot speak Swedish. This research is a qualitative interpretive case study. The methods used in this study are observation and interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The findings show that refugees don’t receive information or instructions about how to use electronic health records properly. The language is the biggest hurdle to use electronic health records for refugee patients without knowing Swedish language. The findings further show that the electronic health records can be improved by adding sound or translated medical information in the diagnosis part of the electronic health record. This research might contribute to the healthcare process of any country in the world which has refugees and they use electronic health records.