The incident could start making everyone wonder about information technology's role in protecting data and privacy.
The information and communication technology roles described are available features in factual knowledge oriented information systems; and its relationship with the defined critical adoption factors can be used as a guide for a conceptual framework for assisting the adoption of electronic health records.
Once identified, the information and communication technology roles in each knowledge management process can be related to the critical adoption factors of the electronic health records.
The relationship between critical factors and the information and communication technology roles, shown in Figure 5, indicates which knowledge is necessary to reduce the uncertainty towards the electronic health records when a specific critical factor is considered.
To collect the critical adoption factors for adopting electronic health records, the reviewers examined the critical adoption factors, defined in each study, taking into account the information and communication technology roles of the knowledge management processes presented in table 1.
We therefore consider that critical adoption factors and its relationship with the information and communication technology roles of the knowledge management processes provide sound theoretical basis that scholars should use for empirical and theoretical research to understand, support, and facilitate the physician's adoption of information and communication technology for the benefit of patients.
In this way, every critical adoption factor could be associated with one or several of the information and communication technology roles of the knowledge management processes (creation, storage, and/or distribution) to apply such knowledge for assisting the adoption of the electronic health records.
Each one of these knowledge processes can be implemented with information and communication technology roles [ 20] such as those presented in table 1; e.g., data mining can be used for creating knowledge, whereas electronic bulletin boards can be utilized for knowledge distribution.
For example, as we have stated, communication among users is determinant in knowledge and confirmation stages, which can lead to use information and communication technology roles of knowledge management to moderate the communication behavior of an adoption unit, and help it become aware of an innovation to induce an adoption decision.
Thousands of businesses and government agencies now have up-to-date, streamlined systems, top managers with a better appreciation of information technology's vital role, and better understanding of their suppliers' operations.
