Abstract

Background:Interoperable Electronic Medical Record (EMR) supports health information exchange from different service systems and provide convenient access to healthcare services. Despite these undisputable benefits, achieving interoperability between EMR systems has always been challenging. This study attempted to investigate factors that influence interoperability of EMR systems in hospitals.
Methods:The study employed a narrative review which involved a systematic search of articles from January 2010 to November 2020. Five electronic databases were searched, which are Science Direct, PubMed, Jstor, IEEE and Google Scholar. Data were analyzed using principles of thematic analysis.
Results:Using keyword search terms, 22609 articles were identified from database searching, whereby 565 articles were retrieved from databases after applying advanced search; the final review comprised of 17 articles which were then used for the study. Eight factors emerged (i) adherence to medical standards, (ii) the existence of medical terminologies and controlled vocabularies, (iii) the use of standardized data types, (iv) adherence to communication channels or protocols, (v) the influence of political supremacy (vi) existence of diverse social background, (vii) legal aspects, and (viii) availability of resources.
Conclusion:This review found that interoperability is possible given that actors will address these factors, which are both organizational and technical.

Keywords:Interoperability; Electronic medical records; Narrative review; Health information system inclusion and exclusion criteria