Facilitation or Hindrance: Physicians’ Perception on Best Practice Alerts (BPA) Usage in an Electronic Health Record System

Abstract

ABSTRACTA qualitative study was conducted to examine physicians’ perception on best practice alerts (BPAs) usage under the theoretical framework of technology acceptance model (TAM). In particular, 20 face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted from September 2016 to February 2017 to collect data. Four themes emerged from the current set of data: support, de-escalation, management, and enhancement are physicians’ perceived motivations of using BPAs; interactivity, timing, and interface design are key factors that influence physicians’ perceived experiences of using BPAs; alert fatigue and inaccurate alters are major challenges and issues faced by physicians when using BPAs; and, control and team approach are physicians’ perceptions on the future improvement of BPAs. This study not only offers a detailed description of physicians’ perception of BPAs, revealing the rich meanings associated with this phenomenon, but also enriches our understanding of the TAM in the context of BPAs by uncovering the key dimensions of abstract constructs in the model.