Perceived Electronic Health Record System Success and Its Associations With Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Operational Efficiency in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Public Health, Aseer Health Cluster, Abha, SAU
- 2Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Prince Musaid Bin Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, SAU
- 3Southern Region Sector, Public Health Authority (Weqaya), Abha, SAU
- 4Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU
- 5Women’s Health Research Chair, Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU
Abstract
Background
Electronic health record (EHR) systems are widely implemented to support safer, higher-quality, and more efficient care. However, evidence regarding their perceived benefits in recently digitized tertiary hospitals remains limited. This study examined the associations of perceived EHR system success with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and perceived operational efficiency. It also assessed the independent contribution of training and technical support and whether this support modified either association.
Methodology
A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Aseer Central Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from April 1 to 30, 2026. An expert-reviewed electronic questionnaire was administered to clinical and administrative employees using the VIDA EHR. Hierarchical linear regression models were fitted separately for perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and perceived operational efficiency, adjusting for demographic and professional characteristics. Training and technical support was examined as a main effect and through a prespecified interaction with perceived EHR system success.
Results
The analytic sample included 328 employees. Perceived EHR system success was positively associated with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety (B = 0.771, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.660 to 0.882; β = 0.711; p < 0.001) and perceived operational efficiency (B = 0.668, 95% CI = 0.532 to 0.804; β = 0.571; p < 0.001). The final models explained 65.6% and 55.5% of outcome variance, respectively. Training and technical support was associated with perceived operational efficiency (B = 0.214, 95% CI = 0.103 to 0.325; β = 0.199; p < 0.001), but not with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety in the primary model (p = 0.093). Neither interaction was statistically significant.
Conclusions
More favorable perceptions of EHR system success were associated with better perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and greater perceived operational efficiency. Training and technical support was independently associated with perceived operational efficiency but did not modify either association. Because the study was cross-sectional and used employee-reported perceptions, the findings should not be interpreted as causal effects or objective improvements in care.
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BibTeX
@article{alshahrani2026perceived,
title = {{Perceived Electronic Health Record System Success and Its Associations With Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Operational Efficiency in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study}},
author = {Yasser Alshahrani and Ahmed Hazazi and Tariq Falqi and Rufaidah Dabbagh},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117458},
url = {https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117458},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceived Electronic Health Record System Success and Its Associations With Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Operational Efficiency in a Saudi Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
AU - Yasser Alshahrani
AU - Ahmed Hazazi
AU - Tariq Falqi
AU - Rufaidah Dabbagh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/04
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117458
UR - https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117458
AB - Background Electronic health record (EHR) systems are widely implemented to support safer, higher-quality, and more efficient care. However, evidence regarding their perceived benefits in recently digitized tertiary hospitals remains limited. This study examined the associations of perceived EHR system success with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and perceived operational efficiency. It also assessed the independent contribution of training and technical support and whether this support modified either association. Methodology A cross-sectional survey was conducted at Aseer Central Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from April 1 to 30, 2026. An expert-reviewed electronic questionnaire was administered to clinical and administrative employees using the VIDA EHR. Hierarchical linear regression models were fitted separately for perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and perceived operational efficiency, adjusting for demographic and professional characteristics. Training and technical support was examined as a main effect and through a prespecified interaction with perceived EHR system success. Results The analytic sample included 328 employees. Perceived EHR system success was positively associated with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety (B = 0.771, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.660 to 0.882; β = 0.711; p < 0.001) and perceived operational efficiency (B = 0.668, 95% CI = 0.532 to 0.804; β = 0.571; p < 0.001). The final models explained 65.6% and 55.5% of outcome variance, respectively. Training and technical support was associated with perceived operational efficiency (B = 0.214, 95% CI = 0.103 to 0.325; β = 0.199; p < 0.001), but not with perceived healthcare quality and patient safety in the primary model (p = 0.093). Neither interaction was statistically significant. Conclusions More favorable perceptions of EHR system success were associated with better perceived healthcare quality and patient safety and greater perceived operational efficiency. Training and technical support was independently associated with perceived operational efficiency but did not modify either association. Because the study was cross-sectional and used employee-reported perceptions, the findings should not be interpreted as causal effects or objective improvements in care.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -