The Role of Electronic Health Records in Monitoring Communicable Diseases: The Case of Saudi Arabia

This study aims to explore the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) amongst physicians within the context of Saudi Arabia. This study collected primary data through interviews from 10 physicians from King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Four main themes were identified in this study (adoption criteria for electronic health records, organisational readiness for the adoption of electronic health record, adoption of electronic health record during COVID-19, and challenges associated with electronic health records). The findings suggest that the adoption of electronic health records during the COVID-19 pandemic depends on a number of factors such as resistance to change and the availability of training courses for physicians. Moreover, majority of participants assured on the importance of using EHRs to facilitate the flux of work during the times of crisis as it is the case of the COVID-19 pandemic.