Perspectives of Primary Care Physicians on Adopting Electronic Medical Records in the Atlanta, Georgia Area

Slow adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) by primary care physicians in medical office practices has not facilitated the EMR adoption process. The problem is the slow pace of EMR adoption by primary care physicians in the Atlanta, Georgia area has become a public health concern. Research regarding the lived experiences of these physicians with EMR implementation and utilization may identify reasons for the slow adoption. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of primary care physicians, who practice in the Atlanta area, regarding their perception, successes, barriers, and urgency of adoption of EMR in their healthcare practice. Lewin\u27s change management model of health services served as the framework for the study. Data was collected during face-to-face interviews with 19 primary care physicians at Grady\u27s Ponce de Leon Clinic and Grady\u27s East Point Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants were physicians or residents and not those in authority to make decisions about the EMR at the two clinics. NVivo 10 and automatic coding was used for data analysis to develop themes from the interviews. The findings revealed that the adoption of EMR has enabled primary care physicians to spend more time with their patients, but the barriers such as a lack of interoperability and lack of training, has fostered a feeling of disinterestedness towards EMR adoption. This study supports positive social change that EMR adoption aids in improving patient safety and outcome