Compliance with Electronic Medical Records Privacy Policy: A Perspective of Employees of a Private Hospital in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are becoming the major technological tools for recording, storing, sharing, and analysing patient records in hospitals. This form of record has replaced the paper-based form of keeping patients’ records. However, the increased vulnerability and breach of electronic medical records have also led to concerns about the privacy of patient records. To address this, privacy policies have been put in place by hospitals to protect patient information. In view of this, there is a need to understand what factors will promote compliance to these privacy policies, and to continuously measure the level of compliance. This study, therefore, seeks to identify the factors that influence compliance to EMR privacy policies in a private hospital in Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative approach. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study used a census to collect data from respondents who are EMR users in the hospital. In all, 154 respondents participated in the survey. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 25. The study analyses were performed using descriptive analysis and inferential statistics (correlation and regression). The findings suggest that employees of the hospital are aware of the EMR privacy policies. Also, the findings indicate that EMR users do not perceive that there are serious challenges preventing them from complying with the EMR privacy policies. The study found that the level of EMR privacy policy compliance is very high among users of the system, with self-efficacy being a predictor of EMR privacy compliance. The implication of these findings is that hospital management must train their employees to develop the skills and confidence to use the EMR privacy systems to ensure compliance.