Methods
A scoping literature review is a systematic method to map the available
evidence of a topic and can be used to identify and analyse knowledge
gaps. Outcomes of a scoping review can be used to direct further
research, or even support recommendations, depending on the topic (Munn
et al., 2018; Peters et al., 2021; PRISMA, 2021; Rethlefsen et al.,
2021). The research question is to determine the evidence base
surrounding EMR implementation in Australia, so a scoping literature
review would be the most appropriate methodology.
The review included five key phases:
- Identifying the research question
- Identifying and selecting relevant studies
- Evaluation of data
- Thematic analysis
- Summarising and reporting results
Prior to data collection, an exploratory search was performed to
ascertain scope and eligibility criteria suitable for the time and
researcher constraints.
Research question &
objectives
This review was guided by the question: ‘Has the success of electronic
medical record (EMR) implementation been evaluated both quantitatively
and qualitatively in the Australian health care system?’ broken down
into the objectives in Table 2 .
Table 2: Research question breakdown and objective