How are clinicians involved in EHR planning? A process analysis case study of a region in Denmark.

Experience shows that to achieve a successful implementation of EHR clinicians must obtain joint ownership of the decisions made during the EHR-process. The EHR planning process in the Region of North Jutland, Denmark was studied with the aim of answering the question; "Why are not all Danish physicians overjoyed by the introduction of EHR? A case study was carried out from Oct. 2003 till April 2006 using process analysis. The EHR project management's strategy meant that there was no workload reduction. This was seen as one of the main barriers for the physicians to achieve real influence. History shows that clinician's on the one hand and administrators on the other have different perceptions of the purpose of the patient record and that they both have struggled to influence this definition. To date, the administrators have won the battle. This was the major reason for the approach chosen for the EHR planning process in North Jutland, Denmark. It explains the conditions made available for the physicians, which led to their role being reduced to clinical consultants--rather than real participants.