A Quantitative Analysis of Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Patient Health Information Security and Its Influence on Electronic Health Record (EHR) Usage

Abstract: This study examined the relationships between healthcare professionals’ perceptions of Protected Health Information (PHI) security, awareness of institutional data-protection policies, and the completeness of electronic health record (EHR) documentation. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), the study aimed to determine whether these perceptions and awareness levels predict documentation completeness, and whether clinical role or years of experience moderate these relationships. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed with a sample of 200 healthcare professionals across various clinical roles. Data were collected using validated instruments measuring perceived PHI security, policy awareness, and EHR documentation completeness. Assumption checks included Shapiro–Wilk normality tests, skewness, kurtosis, and visual inspections via boxplots, all confirming suitability for parametric analyses. Pearson’s correlations examined relationships among variables, while multiple linear regression assessed predictive effects. Moderation analysis tested potential interaction effects, and a one-way ANOVA explored differences across categorized security confidence levels. The Correlation analysis indicated significant positive relationships between perceived PHI security and policy awareness (r = .31, p < .01), perceived PHI security and documentation completeness (r = .26, p < .01), and policy awareness and documentation completeness (r = .26, p < .01). Regression analysis revealed that both perceived PHI security (β = .27, p < .01) and policy awareness (β = .21, p < .01) significantly predicted documentation completeness, jointly explaining 6.8% of the variance (F(2, 197) = 7.20, p = .001). No significant moderation effects were found for clinical role or years of experience, and ANOVA results indicated no significant group differences based on security confidence levels (p > .05). the findings suggest that enhancing healthcare professionals’ perceptions of PHI security and awareness of data-protection policies may lead to more complete EHR documentation across clinical roles. These results align with previous studies emphasizing the role of trust and policy clarity in health information management, while addressing a literature gap by jointly examining these predictors within an integrated theoretical framework. Implication for the study indicates organizations should prioritize visible, user-centered PHI security measures and continuous, role-relevant policy education to strengthen documentation quality and compliance. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, incorporate objective documentation measures, and explore additional moderating and mediating factors such as system usability and organizational culture. Keywords: PHI security, policy awareness, EHR documentation, Technology Acceptance Model, Protection Motivation Theory, healthcare professionals. Title: A Quantitative Analysis of Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions of Patient Health Information Security and Its Influence on Electronic Health Record (EHR) Usage Author: Dr. David Augustine Bull International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technology Research ISSN 2348-1196 (print), ISSN 2348-120X (online) Vol. 13, Issue 3, July 2025 - September 2025 Page No: 155-171 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 14-August-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16873602 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/a-quantitative-analysis-of-healthcare-professionals-perceptions-of-patient-health-information-security-and-its-influence-on-electronic-health-record-ehr-usage