A scoping review of the drivers and barriers influencing healthcare professionals' behavioral intentions to comply with electronic health record data privacy policy.

Abstract

Objective: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are now an integral part of health systems in middle and high-income countries despite recognized deficits in the digital competencies of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). Therefore, we undertook a scoping review of factors influencing compliance with EHR data privacy policies. Methods: Seven databases revealed 27 relevant studies, covering a range of countries, professional groups, and research methods. The diverse nature of these factors meant that 18 separate theoretical frameworks representing technology-acceptance to behavioral psychology were used to interpret these. Results: The predominant factors influencing compliance with EHR data privacy policies included confidence and competence to comply, perceived ease of use, facilitatory environmental factors, perceived usefulness, fear that non-compliance would be detected and/or punished and the expectations of others. Conclusion: Human factors such as attitudes, social pressure, confidence, and perceived usefulness are as important as technical factors and must be addressed to improve compliance.