PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYSICIANS INFLUENCING A FASTER ADOPTION OF INNOVATIONS: A STUDY BASED ON DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS ATTRIBUTES

This article comprises the results of a survey with 221 physicians located at Santa Casa de Misericordia de Santos – SCMS, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, regarding the use of Electronic Medical Record, based on their perception of Diffusion of Innovations attributes, defined by Everett Rogers. The method was based on a questionnaire specially developed for this study based on the literature review. The results show that younger and newer physicians have greater perception of those attributes, what leads them to a faster adoption of Electronic Medical Record. The research also identified that gender and amount of training do not influence the perception of attributes leading to adoption, but the familiarity with informatics, mandatory use, professional ties and academic preparation for the use of Electronic Medical Record are factors that influence its adoption. Although some findings are obvious, as with similar studies, others, such as: amount of training and professional ties can be useful in planning training programs conducted by IT staff prior to the implementation of innovations.