User requirements meet large-scale EHR suites: Norwegian preparations for Epic

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming the norm in healthcare. Typically, these EHRs are large-scale suite systems. The up-front presence of ready-for-use EHR suites changes the role of user requirements and the conditions for deciding which requirements to include in the final contract. In this paper, we investigate how user requirements are negotiated in the ongoing preparations for the implementation of Epic throughout the region of Central Norway. User requirements shape vendor selection but they are also shaped by the vendors’ existing EHRs and by the requirements of the selected vendor’s other customers.