Analyzing the Task Performance and User Satisfaction of Rehabilitation Personnel Using Electronic Medical Record Systems Among Rehabilitation Departments: A Mixed Method Study

Healthcare systems have continuously adapted to modern technology, leading to the transition from paper-based to electronic medical records (EMR). In physical therapy, this electronically stored information becomes part of goal setting, assessment, evaluation, treatment, and patient education. Accordingly, digitizing health records provides one solution to ensure more efficient healthcare service delivery. This study aims to analyze the satisfaction of one of EMR’s main end-users (i.e., rehabilitation personnel) and their quality of task performance through qualitative and quantitative means. A sequential explanatory cross-sectional mixed method design was implemented. Potential participants from public, semi-private, and private facilities in Metro Manila, Philippines, were selected through convenience and purposive sampling to complete a survey questionnaire. Joint display analysis (JDA) was used for the data presentation. This study included twelve (12) rehabilitation personnel from different facilities. Two out of the twelve participated in in-depth interviews. Half of the respondents (50%) were from a private facility and half were male (50%). The range of respondents were aged 27-29 years old and all who answered were physical therapists (PTs). The participants exhibited a median score of 6.00 indicating improved task performance. Conversely, the lack of EMR features available to rehabilitation personnel, such as daily note entry and patient referrals, hindered collaboration with other hospital departments. However, despite the EMR’s shortcomings, rehabilitation personnel are satisfied with EMR's ability to assist in clinical tasks, like chart review and obtaining results, as this aids in treatment planning. Different factors have also had an impact on user satisfaction and task performance: such as administrative policies, resource allocations, and internet connectivity. Rehabilitation departments have EMR features supporting physicians' clinical tasks but lack those for rehabilitation personnel. Satisfaction greatly varies by hospital setting due to administrative and technological factors. Improving EMR features to include support to rehabilitation-specific tasks can optimize EMR benefits.