A survey-based study of factors that motivate nurses to protect the privacy of electronic medical records

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that motivate nurses to protect privacy in electronic medical records, based on the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior. METHODS This cross-sectional study used questionnaires to collect data from nurses in a large tertiary care military hospital in Taiwan. RESULTS The three hundred two (302) valid questionnaires returned resulted in a response rate of 63.7 %. Structural equation modeling identified that the factors of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of the nurses significantly predicted the nurses' intention to protect the privacy of electronic medical records. Further, perceived usefulness and compatibility, peer and superior influence, self-efficacy and facilitating conditions, respectively predicted these three factors. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study may provide valuable information for education and practice in predicting nurses' intention to protect privacy of electronic medical records.