Attitudes and Perceptions of General Practitioners towards the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) in Singapore

Background: In Singapore, the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) was launched in 2011. The central ethos of the initiative was that of “One Patient, One Health Record”, as NEHR allows registered doctors to review and upload patient data. However, uptake of the system has been slow in the private sector, with only 27% of doctors with private licenses, including general practitioners (GP) and specialists in the ambulatory care setting, accessing it. A questionnaire-based study was therefore conducted to find out the proportion of GP who used NEHR, and the barriers faced by those who do not. Methods: This study involved a self-administered questionnaire, randomly sampling private GP in Singapore. The questionnaire ascertained the number of GP who used NEHR and gathered their demographic information. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the perceived barriers to NEHR use. Results: Of the 315 responses, multinomial logistics regression showed that solo-practising GP who were >40 years old and who had practised for >15 years were less likely to review, or review and upload, data onto NEHR. Doctors who regarded themselves as computer users with lower levels of technical aptitude and those who perceived an inadequate level of support were less likely to use the NEHR. The majority of GP had a positive attitude towards NEHR. Conclusions: This study highlighted key demographics and perceived barriers affecting NEHR use. By raising awareness of these issues to policy makers and working to overcome these barriers, NEHR use may be increased.