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Open-source health information technology: A case study of electronic medical records

This is a review of Safadi, Chan, Dawes, Roper, and Farai. (2015) article, “Open-source health information technology: A case study of electronic medical records”.

Research Question

The purpose of this study is to review open-source EMR adoption and application in North America.

Abstract

The review of the case study reveals the changes and benefits of the adoption of OSCAR, an open-source software (OSS), in primary care units. This review’s target audience consists of practitioner, healthcare technology managers, and policy makers.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were administered to OSCAR users including: practitioners, healthcare technology managers, policy makers, developers, and service providers.

Results

OSCAR and other open-source systems provide a platform that allows for various stakeholders to contribute towards a common goal. Thus, OSCAR and other open-source systems provide a possible solution for the low adoption rates of EHR’s in North America. The lack of knowledge of OSS models and lack of trusty worthy support provides users with a unique set of challenges.

Conclusions

The benefits of OSCAR include low cost for implementation and maintenance, a high degree of customizability, and the advantages of community collaboration.

Discussions Open-source system maybe a means of solving issues related to financial constraints. This study and others like it demonstrate the possibility of successful application of OSS’s like OSCAR.