Assessing the Adoption and Challenges of Electronic Health Records and Information Systems in Honduran Hospitals

The use of health information technologies improves the quality of healthcare, making it more efficient and safer by achieving integrated, interconnected, and interoperable systems. However, there are current challenges in its application, particularly in regions with medium and low incomes, due to the lack of infrastructure and human and technological resources. The first component of an ideal information system is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Despite the global consensus on the importance of EHR, there are no reliable estimates of its adoption prevalence in Honduran hospitals. In fact, there are no studies or publicly available information regarding information systems in the county, neither public nor scientific information addressing the information systems infrastructure and capabilities in Honduran hospitals. Therefore, the objective of this research was to obtain a general overview of the use of EHR and information systems in Honduran hospitals to provide an initial assessment of the current state of the country. This research presents the results of a survey conducted in 24 second level hospitals and clinics in the public and private sectors. Information about the use and application of EHR, the human resources in the areas, their information technology (IT) departments, software for clinical data, and basic network infrastructure provides insights to enhance healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, in this study, barriers and areas for improvement to promote the effective implementation of these systems in the country are assessed.