Dimensions of accessibility and interoperability for electronic health records in the Nordic Countries : a qualitative evidence synthesis of facilitators and barriers

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p>This paper presents a qualitative evidence synthesis of facilitators and barriers of accessibility and interoperability of electronic health records in the Nordic Countries, i.e. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The findings are based on a thematic analysis of 19 papers selected through a systematic search strategy from databases covering research on medicine and information systems. We recognise three dimensions in accessibility facilitators, five dimensions in accessibility barriers, two dimensions in interoperability facilitators, and three in interoperability barriers. Our findings indicate that there is an imbalance in research addressing different stakeholders, and there are differences on how stakeholders affect or are affected by the accessibility and interoperability barriers and facilitators. The findings can help in designing policies and solutions for creating health record platforms which support all relevant stakeholders in healthcare delivery.</p></div>