eHealth in Egypt: The demand-side perspective of implementing electronic health records

• Published in: Telecommunications policy 2019-07, Vol.43 (6), p.576-594
• Main Author: Badran, Mona Farid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adoption of innovations; Computerized medical records; Cost analysis; Data collection; Demographics; Egypt; eHealth; eHealth policy; Electronic health records; Empirical analysis; Health care; Health insurance; Health records; Health services; Healthcare sector; Information technology; Infrastructure; Legislatures; Logistic regression; Medical records; Next generation of infrastructure; Policy making; Respondents; Social security; Surveying; Telecommunications policy; UTAUT2
• ISSN: 0308-5961; 1879-3258
• DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2019.01.003

The present study sheds light on the expected factors that would impact the adoption of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) service in Egypt from the demand-side perspective, i.e. the healthcare consumer's standpoint. This empirical study is motivated by the use of EHR in many countries as a method of promoting healthcare services. Another incentive for the present study is to look at EHR as a top layer in the Next Generation of Information Infrastructure (NII). EHR is considered an efficiency-enhancing and cost-effective technology. Moreover, the issue of developing the healthcare sector in Egypt has the attention of government policymakers, who have a comprehensive healthcare and social insurance law that will be discussed in the Egyptian Parliament, in the near future. The study highlights the socio-technical approach used in analyzing the EHR as an eHealth application in Egypt. The underlying theoretical framework of this study implicates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology in the Consumer Context (UTAUT2) model. It also applies an integrated framework of multifaceted perceptions used to explain the expected adoption or behavior of the Egyptian consumer vis-à-vis EHR. The study relies on primary data collected after surveying 559 respondents. Results reveal that determinants of EHR include demographics such as place and gender, but more importantly constructs such as price value, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions are key factors that play a part in the decision made by the Egyptian consumer to adopt EHR technology. Finally, additional insight and recommendations are offered to the policymakers. •This paper addresses the issue of how the proposed EHR service, with a focus on the demand-side, is perceived in Egypt.•The research gap shows that no attention was given to the Egyptian consumers’ perceptions and expectations vis-à-vis EHR.•Another incentive for the present study is to look at EHR as a top layer in the Next Generation of Information Infrastructure (NII).•The study highlights the socio-technical approach used in analyzing the EHR as an eHealth application in Egyp.•This study arrives at the conclusion that there is a readiness to embrace new healthcare related technologies in Egypt.