CHICAGO – Electronic health record implementations are affected by four common factors across the globe, according to a task force of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

The 16-member Global Enterprise Task Force reviewed EHR implementations at healthcare IT centers in 15 countries in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The implementations, described in a study titled "Electronic Health Records: A Global Perspective," were evaluated on aspects such as security, quality, finance sources and barriers to implementation.

Four common factors affect EHR projects throughout the world, the task force concluded. These are:

• Funding
• Governance
• Standardization and interoperability
• Communication.

"This comprehensive report provides actionable lessons learned from each of the countries we reviewed," said Steve Arnold, MD, co-chairman of the task force and president of Healthcare Consultants International. "Despite the local differences in the logistics of EHR implementation, we found that all of the countries believed in the benefits of health IT and introduced this technology into their respective health systems."

Each chapter of the 119-page report includes an overview of each country's EHR status, a review of achievements, encountered barriers and recommendations.

The 15 countries' EHR projects are detailed in sections such as national IT status and strategy, national/regional EHR approach, EHR governance, EHR/PHR/HIE outcomes and implementation experiences.

A PDF white paper on the report can be found at the HIMSS Web site.