What does this research mean for the field?

Stakeholders in low- and middle-income country emergency departments perceive Digital Electronic Medical Records as highly valuable for improving care quality and reducing delays, though successful implementation requires overcoming significant infrastructure and digital literacy barriers. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Explore stakeholder perspectives regarding the need, usability, and perceived value of digital electronic medical records (DEMRs) to improve emergency care quality in a public sector hospital.

September 8, 2026BMC Emergency MedicineOpen Access

Perceived usefulness and need for Digital Electronic Medical Records (DEMRs) to enhance quality of care in emergency units: aqualitative exploratory study

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Authors

BDButool Durrani RJRawshan JabeenAga Khan University ASAnam Shahil-FerozWestern University

Discussion

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals strong demand for digital electronic medical records among emergency department stakeholders, highlighting infrastructural and digital literacy barriers to implementation.

Key Points

Explore stakeholder perspectives regarding the need, usability, and perceived value of digital electronic medical records (DEMRs) to improve emergency care quality in a public sector hospital.
Conducted a qualitative exploratory study using purposive sampling at a public sector emergency department in Karachi, Pakistan.
Administered five focus group discussions—two with healthcare providers (n = 12) and three with patients and caregivers (n = 18)—and three key informant interviews with hospital administrators.
Transcribed, translated, and analyzed textual data using an inductive thematic analysis approach.
Healthcare providers anticipated that DEMRs would accelerate access to clinical histories, expedite urgent decision-making, and decrease emergency department crowding.
Patients and caregivers projected that digital systems would resolve major emergency care bottlenecks, specifically long waiting times, duplicate testing, and poor clinical communication.
All stakeholder groups emphasized critical implementation barriers, notably digital literacy deficits, unstable internet access, and recurrent electrical power outages.

Cite This Study

Durrani et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9fd83b58e84d0ff5b47a99 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-026-01740-3

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Implication

Qualitative study reveals strong demand for digital electronic medical records among emergency department stakeholders, highlighting infrastructural and digital literacy barriers to implementation.

Perceived usefulness and need for Digital Electronic Medical Records (DEMRs) to enhance quality of care in emergency units: aqualitative exploratory study

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Perceived usefulness and need for Digital Electronic Medical Records (DEMRs) to enhance quality of care in emergency units: aqualitative exploratory study

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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