Electronic medical record in developing countries: research streams, influential works, and future research paths

Abstract

The adoption of EMRs in developing countries presents unique challenges and opportunities, influencing healthcare delivery and management. This study aims to identify trends and research mapping of EMRs in developing countries that have been of concern to academics and practitioners. The scope of this research is electronic medical records in developing countries, focusing on reviewing studies published from 2014-2023. The method used in this research is descriptive and exploratory analytics with a literature study approach using bibliometric studies of the Scopus database. The keywords used in this research are “electronic medical record” AND “developing countries.” This study revealed that research on EMRs related to developing countries has exhibited a variable upward trend from 2014 to 2023. The review indicated that the focus of EMR research has shifted from early development stages to contemporary topics on technological transformation, especially those that have not been explored in developing countries. Developed countries have conducted more EMR research than developing countries. In developing countries, the main research areas of EMRs include hospitalization, re-hospitalization, and medical record evaluation, in addition to information medicine education, health workers, and medical systems. This investigation revealed that topics such as health worker attitudes, patient education, and advances in health technology (telemedicine and mHealth) remain largely unexplored, underscoring the need for further research to improve the accessibility and efficiency of healthcare services.