title: Electronic Health in Perspective of Healthcare Managers: A Qualitative Study in South of Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The important role of electronic health as well as importance of health care systems awareness and readiness may lead to develop the essential infrastructures for electronic health especially in developing countries. This study aims to investigate goals, gains, applications, challenges and other important issues related to success performance of electronic health.
  
  
  METHODS
  This research proposed a grounded theory in a qualitative design and a purposive sampling was used to select participants which consisted of 28 hospital managers and staff field managers working in deputy of health and curative affairs of Medical Science Universities in south of Iran. Semi structured interviews were conducted using a topic guide and intended themes derived from the results using Max QDA software during five steps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine themes through interviewees" viewpoints were made up as followed: Electronic health definition, necessity and importance of electronic health, electronic health advantages, relationship between electronic health and internet, physicians" opposition to electronic health, prerequisites for electronic health, solutions for applying electronic health plan, factors affecting electronic health acceptance in society and electronic health system challenges.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that there are good circumstances in the south medical universities about settlement and implementations of electronic health and their managers are aware of its advantages, importance and necessities. The present findings implicate that these organizations should consider the user friendly and probable resistances of the present clients, in this regard it is suggested that the used technology must be accepted by users, having standard base, inexpensive and simple enough while less vulnerable in response to changes.
authors.affiliation: 1. Dept. of Health Services Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz, Iran ; 2. Research Center for Health Services Management, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences , Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Peivand
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bastani
authors.affiliation: 3. Dept. of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nazanin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abolhasani
authors.affiliation: 4. Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran, Iran ; 5. University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences , Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shaarbafchizadeh
keywords: Electronic health; Health systems; Information and communication technology