Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Agile-Based Software Quality Assurance Frameworks for Electronic Health Records in U.S. Hospitals

Abstract The introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) into American hospitals has fundamentally changed the way healthcare is provided, yet remains prone to numerous issues concerning usability, interoperability, compliance and patient safety. Conventional software quality assurance (QA) methods are frequently unable to keep up with the complexity and dynamism of healthcare IT settings. Other frameworks based on agile QA have been proposed, which focus on a more iterative method to testing, collaboration between clinicians and developers, and constant improvement. This paper examines the issues and opportunities of applying the agile QA practices to the EHR systems of the U.S. hospitals. The systematic review of recent publications in the years 2020-2023 allows synthesizing the findings about the challenges, including regulatory restrictions, resource constraints, and cultural resistance, and opportunities, including increased adaptability, greater user feedback integration, and shorter deployment timeframes. As the analysis shows, agile QA has potential to resolve the long-term challenges in EHR quality and safety, but its implementation needs to be in line with the needs and requirements of the U.S. healthcare environment, organizational culture, and patient safety. The paper emphasizes with a conclusion and recommendations to support the introduction of the agile-based QA in hospitals by the healthcare provider, policymakers, and researchers. Keywords: Agile Software Quality Assurance, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Patient Safety, Healthcare IT, U.S. Hospitals