Technology and Task Characteristics in Electronic Medical Record Compliance: The Mediating Role of System Reliability

Abstract

Electronic medical record (EMR) documentation must be complete, accurate, timely, and legally accountable to support patient safety and continuity of care. At Pena 98 Hospital, documentation compliance remained below the expected standard and was accompanied by workflow complexity and recurring concerns about system performance. This study examined the effects of technology characteristics and task characteristics on EMR documentation compliance, with system reliability as a mediating variable. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used. All 72 inpatient nurses who routinely used the EMR were recruited through total sampling. Data were collected with a four-point Likert questionnaire and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS 4.0. The measurement model met convergent validity, discriminant validity, and internal consistency criteria. Technology characteristics and task characteristics significantly predicted system reliability (Beta = 0.451, p < 0.001; Beta = 0.358, p = 0.001). Both constructs also directly affected compliance (Beta = 0.219, p = 0.045; Beta = 0.274, p = 0.010), while system reliability showed the strongest direct effect on compliance (Beta = 0.420, p < 0.001). Significant indirect effects were found for technology characteristics (Beta = 0.190, p = 0.001) and task characteristics (Beta = 0.150, p = 0.032), indicating complementary partial mediation. The model explained 63.1% of the adjusted variance in EMR documentation compliance. These findings indicate that compliance improvement should combine workflow-oriented system design with stable access, accurate data, rapid response, and uninterrupted operation, rather than relying solely on administrative enforcement.