I shared the following article on electronic health record (EHR) adoption by physicians recently on the BOG Listserv as I found the article to be both informative for those adopting EHRs, and applicable to a broader conversation of member engagement: “Understanding Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption in the United States: Communication and Sociocultural Perspectives.”

The article itself has merit in its own right, however most telling for me was the brief section on micro level communication factors that are very important to physicians, directly impacting how we accept change and learn.

Their four propositions (below) were developed to provide a potential pathway to encourage EHR adoption by doctors, but serve in an even broad context to outline the pitfalls and problems that exist as we try to communicate with one another and increase member engagement.

1. Communication tools such as social media (which is the fastest tool for the social contagion and social cohesion methods) will be positively related to the adoption and diffusion of EMRs among independent physicians in small practice settings.
2. Implementation of communication mechanisms that function at the grassroots level and target independent physicians to promote and facilitate EMR use will be positively related to the adoption and sustained use of EMR by small practice physicians.
3. The level of physician involvement at the grassroots level in the initial adoption process will be positively related to the overall adoption and sustained use of EMRs by physicians. The decision-making power of physicians during these initial adoption stages is crucial for the success of EMR adoption.
4. Cultural change in customer orientation, entrepreneur orientation, and change in perception of new technologies will be positively related to the adoption of EMRs among small practice physicians.

Simplified, the effort must be grassroots in character, at local meetings, in person-to-person contact, shared by what they call “social contagion,” then followed up by a broader top down information flow.

Let us take this information to heart and start the cultural change for increased member engagement.

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