An assessment of readiness for pre-implementation of electronic health record in Iran: a practical approach to implementation in general and teaching hospitals.

Readiness assessment provides a proper image of the existing conditions and an explanation of facilitated operational plans and functional approaches to successful implementation of electronic health record. Readiness assessment requires indices adjusted to particular conditions in each country. Therefore, the present study attempts to provide an acceptable model in Iran and to provide an assessment of public and teaching hospitals in medical education university. After reviewing related papers and descriptive study of five selected countries, the initial model was designed in the form of a questionnaire for analysis through Delphi and distributed among 30 experts nationwide. Along identification of components in the proposed method, a 7-point Likert scale was used to determine priority of each component. Then, all general -education hospitals at Tehran University of Medical Education were examined based on this model in terms of total, relative, or no readiness. The final model was designed in five dimensions: cultural, leadership and management, technical infrastructure, governance and operational dimensions; Educational Hospitals were evaluated in this dimension. 28.6 % of general--teaching hospitals are ready for pre-implementation. It seems to establish uniform strategic and executive team in Health center is essential for the preparation them in abovementioned area in the least possible time.