Introdução: A utilização das ferramentas e instrumentos da informática no processo do atendimento de pacientes auxilia os profissionais da saúde, pois facilita a coleta e armazenamento das informações, proporcionando qualidade no atendimento e criando condições de enfrentamento dos desafios do mundo globalizado. Nesse contexto, a utilização de dados de prontuário eletrônico de pacientes vinculados à pesquisa clínica em um hospital universitário público pode auxiliar no aprimoramento da assistência à saúde, assim como subsidia dados de pesquisas no âmbito da saúde. Objetivos: Identificar e avaliar os registros provenientes de pesquisas clínicas postos nos sistemas coorporativos do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), no período de 2014 a 2016. Método: A pesquisa utilizou abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, de análise de conteúdo de referências e de dados provenientes da rede de informação clínica e assistencial através do cruzamento de informações do sistema integrado Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) e pelo Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, no período entre janeiro de 2014 e dezembro de 2016. Resultados: Entre os projetos, 58,6% encaminharam relatórios de pesquisa, sendo que somente 23,8% possuem registro de participantes de pesquisa. No entanto, apenas 10,3% dentre todos os estudos que indicaram utilizar pacientes no seu protocolo de pesquisa tem concordância de registro entre o GPPG8 e o AGHU. Cerca de 25,6% do total de relatórios de pesquisa encaminhados apresentam informações quanto aos seus produtos de pesquisa. As pesquisas com patrocínio privado demonstraram encaminhar mais relatórios de atualização dos projetos, porém com menor índice na apresentação dos produtos científicos (1,4%). Considerações finais: Potenciais limitações no uso dos registros existentes no AGHU foram identificadas para decisões terapêuticas pela equipe assistencial de maneira geral, tendo em vista a aparente subnotificação de informações relativas ao andamento e desfecho dos estudos desenvolvidos. Entretanto, não foi possível analisar as causas dos registros possivelmente inadequados ou incompletos, sugerindo-se pesquisas específicas com a incorporação de questionários ou entrevistas individuais para permitir maior aprofundamento na temática. Produtos: A pesquisa identificou a necessidade de três produtos derivados do estudo: (1) material explicativo para os pesquisadores informando a necessidade do registro apropriado dos participantes no sistema coorporativo; (2) modelo de relatório de pesquisa para encerramento de projeto, disponibilizado pelo GPPG, em formato online para pesquisadores responsáveis pelo projeto de pesquisa; e (3) sugestão de melhoria das informações disponibilizadas pela aba “Projetos de Pesquisa” no prontuário online dos pacientes que estão vinculados a projetos de pesquisa, informando os potenciais resultados de pesquisas envolvidas com estes à área assistencial. / Introduction: Using informatics tools on the medical care process for patients helps health professionals, makes easier to collect and to storage information, as well as exchange this information among professionals and institutions, offering quality of care and creating conditions to face challenges in a globalized world. In this context, using electronic medical records data of patients enrolled on clinical trials in a public hospital may help improving health care, as well as provide research health data. Objectives: To identify and evaluate records from clinical trials registered on corporative systems from Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), from 2014 to 2016. Method: The research used quantitative and qualitative approach, analyzing references content and data from the network for clinical data, crossing information from Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) and Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) of HCPA, from 2014 and 2016. Results: Among the projects 58,6% forwarded research reports, but just 23,8% with record of research participants. However, only 10,3% of studies that report participants enrolled in study protocol matched records in GPPG8 and AGHU. About 25,6% of total research reports informed research products. Researches with private sponsor showed more update reports, but with lower presentations of scientific products (1,4%). Final considerations: Potential limitations on using existent records on AGHU were identified for therapeutic decisions by clinical team in general, with apparent underreporting of information relate to development and closure for studies developed. However was not possible to analyze causes for possibly inaccurate or incomplete records, suggesting specific research with individual questionnaires or interviews in order to allow deepening the understanding on the theme. Products: The research identify the need for three product from the study: (1) a explicative material to researchers, informing an appropriate participant’s registration on the corporative system; (2) a model of research report for project termination, available on GPPG, online, to lead researchers in research projects; and (3) improvement suggestion on information available by “research projects” tab on the online medical records for patients enroll in research projects, informing potential results associated to medical care area.

Introdução: A utilização das ferramentas e instrumentos da informática no processo do atendimento de pacientes auxilia os profissionais da saúde, pois facilita a coleta e armazenamento das informações, proporcionando qualidade no atendimento e criando condições de enfrentamento dos desafios do mundo globalizado. Nesse contexto, a utilização de dados de prontuário eletrônico de pacientes vinculados à pesquisa clínica em um hospital universitário público pode auxiliar no aprimoramento da assistência à saúde, assim como subsidia dados de pesquisas no âmbito da saúde. Objetivos: Identificar e avaliar os registros provenientes de pesquisas clínicas postos nos sistemas coorporativos do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), no período de 2014 a 2016. Método: A pesquisa utilizou abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, de análise de conteúdo de referências e de dados provenientes da rede de informação clínica e assistencial através do cruzamento de informações do sistema integrado Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) e pelo Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, no período entre janeiro de 2014 e dezembro de 2016. Resultados: Entre os projetos, 58,6% encaminharam relatórios de pesquisa, sendo que somente 23,8% possuem registro de participantes de pesquisa. No entanto, apenas 10,3% dentre todos os estudos que indicaram utilizar pacientes no seu protocolo de pesquisa tem concordância de registro entre o GPPG8 e o AGHU. Cerca de 25,6% do total de relatórios de pesquisa encaminhados apresentam informações quanto aos seus produtos de pesquisa. As pesquisas com patrocínio privado demonstraram encaminhar mais relatórios de atualização dos projetos, porém com menor índice na apresentação dos produtos científicos (1,4%). Considerações finais: Potenciais limitações no uso dos registros existentes no AGHU foram identificadas para decisões terapêuticas pela equipe assistencial de maneira geral, tendo em vista a aparente subnotificação de informações relativas ao andamento e desfecho dos estudos desenvolvidos. Entretanto, não foi possível analisar as causas dos registros possivelmente inadequados ou incompletos, sugerindo-se pesquisas específicas com a incorporação de questionários ou entrevistas individuais para permitir maior aprofundamento na temática. Produtos: A pesquisa identificou a necessidade de três produtos derivados do estudo: (1) material explicativo para os pesquisadores informando a necessidade do registro apropriado dos participantes no sistema coorporativo; (2) modelo de relatório de pesquisa para encerramento de projeto, disponibilizado pelo GPPG, em formato online para pesquisadores responsáveis pelo projeto de pesquisa; e (3) sugestão de melhoria das informações disponibilizadas pela aba “Projetos de Pesquisa” no prontuário online dos pacientes que estão vinculados a projetos de pesquisa, informando os potenciais resultados de pesquisas envolvidas com estes à área assistencial. / Introduction: Using informatics tools on the medical care process for patients helps health professionals, makes easier to collect and to storage information, as well as exchange this information among professionals and institutions, offering quality of care and creating conditions to face challenges in a globalized world. In this context, using electronic medical records data of patients enrolled on clinical trials in a public hospital may help improving health care, as well as provide research health data. Objectives: To identify and evaluate records from clinical trials registered on corporative systems from Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), from 2014 to 2016. Method: The research used quantitative and qualitative approach, analyzing references content and data from the network for clinical data, crossing information from Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) and Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) of HCPA, from 2014 and 2016. Results: Among the projects 58,6% forwarded research reports, but just 23,8% with record of research participants. However, only 10,3% of studies that report participants enrolled in study protocol matched records in GPPG8 and AGHU. About 25,6% of total research reports informed research products. Researches with private sponsor showed more update reports, but with lower presentations of scientific products (1,4%). Final considerations: Potential limitations on using existent records on AGHU were identified for therapeutic decisions by clinical team in general, with apparent underreporting of information relate to development and closure for studies developed. However was not possible to analyze causes for possibly inaccurate or incomplete records, suggesting specific research with individual questionnaires or interviews in order to allow deepening the understanding on the theme. Products: The research identify the need for three product from the study: (1) a explicative material to researchers, informing an appropriate participant’s registration on the corporative system; (2) a model of research report for project termination, available on GPPG, online, to lead researchers in research projects; and (3) improvement suggestion on information available by “research projects” tab on the online medical records for patients enroll in research projects, informing potential results associated to medical care area.

Introdução: A utilização das ferramentas e instrumentos da informática no processo do atendimento de pacientes auxilia os profissionais da saúde, pois facilita a coleta e armazenamento das informações, proporcionando qualidade no atendimento e criando condições de enfrentamento dos desafios do mundo globalizado. Nesse contexto, a utilização de dados de prontuário eletrônico de pacientes vinculados à pesquisa clínica em um hospital universitário público pode auxiliar no aprimoramento da assistência à saúde, assim como subsidia dados de pesquisas no âmbito da saúde. Objetivos: Identificar e avaliar os registros provenientes de pesquisas clínicas postos nos sistemas coorporativos do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), no período de 2014 a 2016. Método: A pesquisa utilizou abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, de análise de conteúdo de referências e de dados provenientes da rede de informação clínica e assistencial através do cruzamento de informações do sistema integrado Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) e pelo Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, no período entre janeiro de 2014 e dezembro de 2016. Resultados: Entre os projetos, 58,6% encaminharam relatórios de pesquisa, sendo que somente 23,8% possuem registro de participantes de pesquisa. No entanto, apenas 10,3% dentre todos os estudos que indicaram utilizar pacientes no seu protocolo de pesquisa tem concordância de registro entre o GPPG8 e o AGHU. Cerca de 25,6% do total de relatórios de pesquisa encaminhados apresentam informações quanto aos seus produtos de pesquisa. As pesquisas com patrocínio privado demonstraram encaminhar mais relatórios de atualização dos projetos, porém com menor índice na apresentação dos produtos científicos (1,4%). Considerações finais: Potenciais limitações no uso dos registros existentes no AGHU foram identificadas para decisões terapêuticas pela equipe assistencial de maneira geral, tendo em vista a aparente subnotificação de informações relativas ao andamento e desfecho dos estudos desenvolvidos. Entretanto, não foi possível analisar as causas dos registros possivelmente inadequados ou incompletos, sugerindo-se pesquisas específicas com a incorporação de questionários ou entrevistas individuais para permitir maior aprofundamento na temática. Produtos: A pesquisa identificou a necessidade de três produtos derivados do estudo: (1) material explicativo para os pesquisadores informando a necessidade do registro apropriado dos participantes no sistema coorporativo; (2) modelo de relatório de pesquisa para encerramento de projeto, disponibilizado pelo GPPG, em formato online para pesquisadores responsáveis pelo projeto de pesquisa; e (3) sugestão de melhoria das informações disponibilizadas pela aba “Projetos de Pesquisa” no prontuário online dos pacientes que estão vinculados a projetos de pesquisa, informando os potenciais resultados de pesquisas envolvidas com estes à área assistencial. / Introduction: Using informatics tools on the medical care process for patients helps health professionals, makes easier to collect and to storage information, as well as exchange this information among professionals and institutions, offering quality of care and creating conditions to face challenges in a globalized world. In this context, using electronic medical records data of patients enrolled on clinical trials in a public hospital may help improving health care, as well as provide research health data. Objectives: To identify and evaluate records from clinical trials registered on corporative systems from Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), from 2014 to 2016. Method: The research used quantitative and qualitative approach, analyzing references content and data from the network for clinical data, crossing information from Aplicativo para Gestão de Hospitais Universitários (AGHU) and Grupo de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação (GPPG) of HCPA, from 2014 and 2016. Results: Among the projects 58,6% forwarded research reports, but just 23,8% with record of research participants. However, only 10,3% of studies that report participants enrolled in study protocol matched records in GPPG8 and AGHU. About 25,6% of total research reports informed research products. Researches with private sponsor showed more update reports, but with lower presentations of scientific products (1,4%). Final considerations: Potential limitations on using existent records on AGHU were identified for therapeutic decisions by clinical team in general, with apparent underreporting of information relate to development and closure for studies developed. However was not possible to analyze causes for possibly inaccurate or incomplete records, suggesting specific research with individual questionnaires or interviews in order to allow deepening the understanding on the theme. Products: The research identify the need for three product from the study: (1) a explicative material to researchers, informing an appropriate participant’s registration on the corporative system; (2) a model of research report for project termination, available on GPPG, online, to lead researchers in research projects; and (3) improvement suggestion on information available by “research projects” tab on the online medical records for patients enroll in research projects, informing potential results associated to medical care area.

Blockkedjetekniken inom sjukvård är ett välutforskat område där journalsystem, spårning av medicin, patientövervakning endast är ett fåtal områden där forskare lyfter blockkedjans relevans. För att undersöka etiska dilemman i samband med blockkedjan undersöker studien specifikt journalsystem där känsliga personliga data hanteras och tittar på hur detta förändras med implementationen av blockkedjetekniken. Studien använder sig av ACTIVE-ramverket för att kunna kategorisera olika etiska dilemman. Studien använder sig av en semi-systematisk litteraturstudiemetodik med en tematisk analys för att besvara forskningsfrågan: Vilka kategorier av etiska dilemman lyfter litteraturen med blockkedjetekniken inom journalsystem? Resultatet av studien sammanfattar de etiska dilemman som litteraturen lyfter och visar även på att texter som är kritiska till blockkedjan är underrepresenterat vilket öppnar upp för vidare forskning. / Blockchain in the health care sector is a well-researched domain where electronic medical records (EMR), tracking of medicine and patient monitoring are a few of the domains where researchers propose blockchain solutions. This study focuses on EMR’s which handle sensitive personal data and research the impact that blockchain technology has on the system to better understand what ethical dilemmas can occur. The study uses the ACTIVE-framework to categorize ethical dilemmas. A semi-systematic literature review in combination with a thematic analysis is used to answer the research question: What categories of ethical dilemmas does the literature raise with the blockchain technology within record systems? The study's findings summarize the ethical dilemmas addressed in the literature and also indicate an underrepresentation of critical texts on blockchain, which calls for further research.

During the last few years, there has been increasing interest in making medical records more centered around patients. Empowering the patient more in the care process has proven to increase the quality of care. It can also enable increased data sharing among different actors, where today patient health data is locked into thousands of separate data silos. Meanwhile, growth in portable medical devices and patient-generated health data (PGHD) poses a new source of valuable data which today has limited utilization in clinical settings. In solving these issues of data availability without compromising the privacy of patients, blockchain has been suggested to play an important role through a more patient-centric model of controlling information. The purpose of this study is to investigate how blockchain can solve data availability and security issues in the healthcare system. We explore the research question from a Sweden-specific context by first defining the current state of the Swedish health data ecosystem, and then analyzing how blockchain helps in increasing the availability and security of personal health data. Qualitative methods were used, and data was collected through both a literature review and an interview study where 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Swedish governmental agencies, EMR providers, informaticians, as well as blockchain experts. The current issues in data availability and security in the Swedish healthcare system were identified together with the benefits of using blockchain in this context. Our findings suggest that Sweden has already solved many of the problems other countries face, limiting the marginal benefit of using blockchain. However, problems of sharing raw data persist and blockchain has benefits in managing accesses to health data from both regulatory and privacy perspectives. There are also benefits of using the technology for ensuring the quality of PGHD as well as providing increased security for health data. Lastly, we propose and discuss three separate blockchainbased solutions to be used in healthcare. A major contribution to literature lies in finding that system barriers in form of legislation and technical and semantic interoperability are issues that first need to be resolved in order to harvest the full value of using blockchain technology - issues often understated in other papers. We call for future studies to investigate practical use-cases such as small-scale consortiums addressing specific data sets or patient groups to provide proof-of-concept on how the technology performs in terms of cost, integrity, security, and scalability in for personal health data. / Patientdata är i dagsläget spridd i tusentals data-silos i sjukvården. Att involvera patienten i vårdprocessen har visat sig förbättra vårdresultatet, vilket senaste åren ökat diskussioner om att göra hälsodata mer tillgänglig och centrerad kring patienten. Samtidigt växer användandet av portabla medicinska apparater och patient-genererad information snabbt, och utgör nu en ny datakälla som i dagsläget i princip inte utnyttjas i den kliniska kontexten. För att lösa dessa problem och öka tillgängligheten av data utan att äventyra patientens integritet har blockkedjeteknologi föreslagits spela en viktig roll genom en mer patientcentrerad modell av informationsdelning. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur blockkedjor kan lösa problemen med tillgänglighet av sjukvårdsdata inom vårdsystemet. Vi undersöker frågeställningen utifrån en svensk kontext genom att först definiera de existerande problem relaterade till datatillgänglighet och säkerhet i det svenska vårdsystemet, för att sedan analysera blockkedjans roll för att lösa dessa problem. Studien är av kvalitativ natur där datainsamling gjorts genom dels en litteraturstudie, och dels genom en intervjustudie, där 16 semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med svenska myndigheter, journalsystems-leverantörer, informatiker samt blockkedje-experter. Nuvarande problem inom datatillgänglighet och datasäkerhet identifierades tillsammans med de fördelar som finns av att använda blockkedjor i sammanhanget. Våra resultat visar att Sverige redan har löst många av de problem många andra länder idag möter, vilket potentiellt minskar den marginella nyttan av att använda blockkedjor. Dock existerar fortfarande problem när det gäller delning av digitala kopior av journaler mellan aktörer, och en blockkedjelösning har fördelar ur både regulatoriska perspektiv och integritetsperspektiv. Vidare finner vi fördelar av att använda blockkedjor för att försäkra kvaliteten av patient-genererad hälsodata, samt för att öka säkerheten i arkitekturer som möjliggör datadelnin. Slutligen föreslår vi och diskuterar tre olika blockkedjelösningar för den svenska sjukvårdssektorn. Ett av huvudbidragen till litteraturen ligger i att identifiera systembarriärer i form av legislativa åtgärder samt teknisk och semantisk interoperabilitet - problem som måste lösas för att till fullo kunna åtnjuta fördelarna av en blockkedjelösning. Vi uppmanar framtida studier att undersöka praktiska användningsområden såsom småskaliga konsortium för att vidare bidra med hur tekniken levererar på frågor kopplade till kostnad, integritet, säkerhet och skalbarhet för personlig hälsodata.

No description available.

In 2012, the county of Uppland in Sweden launched a service granting patients online access to their electronic medical record (EMR), including the list of staff who have logged into the record (the “log list”). Patients seem predominantly positive to this service whereas many professionals, physicians specifically, have expressed concerns about, for example, increased risks of threats and violence towards healthcare staff. One year after launch the present study was conducted to examine whether staff whose patients had gained access to online EMRs experienced greater risks of threats and violence, and were exposed to more threats and violence, than those whose patients had not yet gained access. The extent to which professional role, gender, work experience and staff attitudes to the service were important factors was also examined. A total of 174 professionals at Uppsala University Hospital responded to a web survey (35% response rate). 83 represented the emergency department, whose patients had online EMR access, and 91 represented the psychiatric department, whose patients had not. 40% of all participating professionals, emergency physicians and psychiatric staff specifically, believed that risks of threats and violence increase after launch. The results did not, however, support a correlation between patient access to online EMRs and more incidents of threats and violence, and only one respondent reported that patient access had played any significant negative role in relation to an incident. These and other results may prove useful as the online EMR service is now being launched in other Swedish counties as well. / År 2012 infördes inom Uppsala läns landsting en tjänst som ger patienter tillgång till sin journal via nätet, inklusive listan över personal som loggat in i journalen. Patienter har visat sig vara övervägande positiva till tjänsten, medan många vårdgivare, speciellt läkare, har uttryckt farhågor gällandes, till exempel, ökad risk för hot och våld mot vårdpersonal. Ett år efter införandet genomfördes denna enkätstudie med syfte att undersöka om sjukvårdspersonal vars patienter fått tillgång till journal via nätet upplever högre grad av risk för hot och våld samt om de i realiteten är mer utsatta för hot och våld än dem vars patienter inte fått denna tillgång. Även betydelsen av yrke, kön, arbetserfarenhet samt generell attityd till journal via nätet undersöktes i relation till hot och våldsrisker respektive utsatthet för våld. En webundersökning besvarades av 174 anställda vid Akademiska sjukhuset i Uppsala (svarsfrekvens 35 %). 83 representerade den öppna akutvårdsmottagningen, vars patienter hade tillgång till journal via nätet, och 91 representerade de slutenvårdspsykiatriska avdelningarna, vars patienter inte hade denna tillgång. 40 % av respondenterna, speciellt akutvårdsläkare och psykiatrivårdspersonal, trodde att riskerna för hot och våld ökar vid införande av journal via nätet. Resultaten påvisade dock inte någon korrelation mellan patienttillgång till journal via nätet och förekomst av hot- och våldsincidenter och endast en respondent svarade att patienttillgång spelat en betydande negativ roll i relation till en incident. Dessa och andra resultat i studien kan vara av betydelse nu när införanden av journal via nätet sprids även till andra landsting i Sverige.

Introduction: The epidemic of overweight and obesity both worldwide and in Canada is indicative of the need for proper growth monitoring beginning at birth. This study evaluated Family Physician’s (FP) Level of Use (LoU) of the recommended 2006 and 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Charts for monitoring their paediatric patients’ growth. It explored factors influencing LoU, utilizing the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory and Ecological Framework for Effective Implementation (EFEI) as guiding models. FPs’ awareness of resources to support paediatric weight management was also assessed. Methods: A survey was distributed to FP in British Columbia (BC), Canada (N = 2853). The survey addressed provider and innovation characteristics, prevention delivery and support system factors, and barriers and facilitators to chart use. Correlations and multiple linear regression were used to determine correlates and predictors of LoU. Results: Sixty-two surveys were returned (2.2%). WHO Growth Chart LoU was 80.4%. Six variables significantly predicted LoU, including age (β = -.28, t = -3.15, p < .05), practicing in Fraser Health Authority region (β = -.24, t = -2.67, p < .05), assessing head circumference of birth to two year olds (β = .23, t = 2.45, p < .05), perceived growth chart accessibility (β = .39, t = 4.22, p < .05) and compatibility (β = .47, t = 5.27, p < .05), and innovativeness (β = -.37, t = -4.11, p < .05). These variables accounted for 69% of the variance in LoU. The most commonly identified barrier and facilitator to chart use was related to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. FPs’ awareness of resources to support overweight paediatric patients was low. Conclusion: The majority of FP in BC in this sample had adopted the WHO Growth Charts. The results showed partial support for DOI theory and EFEI derived factors. Despite a small sample size, the findings highlighted the importance of installing the charts in the EMR systems, and can provide a foundation for future public health dissemination efforts and research on medical guideline implementation. / Graduate / 0573 / 0769 / erand@uvic.ca

This thesis explores the field of context-aware information systems (CAIS). We present an approach called Compose, Learn, and Discover (CLD) to incorporate CAIS into the user daily workflow. The CLD approach is self-adjusting. It enables users to personalise the information views for different situations. The CAIS learns about the usage of the information views and recalls the right view in the right situation. We illustrate the CLD approach through an application in the health care field using the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA). In order to realise the CLD approach, we introduce Semantic Composition as a new paradigm to personalise information views. Semantic Composition leverages the type information in the domain model to simplify the user-interface composition process. We also introduce a pattern discovery mechanism that leverages data-mining algorithms to discover correlations between user information needs and different situations.

The implementation of electronic medical record (EMR) systems is a complex process that is receiving more focus in developing countries to support understaffed and overcrowded health facilities deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This thesis research uses exploratory-grounded theory to study clinician perceived benefits of EMRs in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics at four hospitals in Ethiopia. The study is designed to understand the process, technology, social and organizational challenges associated with EMR implementation in resource-limited areas. The research found the attitude of ART clinicians towards the implementation of EMR systems to be overwhelmingly positive. The data showed that perceived benefits of EMRs are improved continuity of care, timely access to complete medical record, patient care efficiency, reduced medication errors, improved patient confidentiality, improved communication among clinicians, integration of various HIV programs, timely decision support and overall job motivation. Conversely, drawbacks to EMR implementation include productivity loss and negative impact on the interaction and relationship between clinicians and their patients. The study proposes a conceptual framework classifying key components for successful EMR implementation in Ethiopia.