Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Robotic Process Automation has become one of the more actively explored innovations in the design of modern electronic health records, promising gains in efficiency and reliability that legacy, largely manual approaches have struggled to deliver.

In practice, however, adoption of robotic process automation within electronic health records has been uneven, and its actual impact on data privacy compliance is not yet well understood in a rigorous, evaluable way — a gap this study is positioned to address.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Existing approaches to data privacy compliance within electronic health records remain largely reactive and fragmented, with little systematic use of robotic process automation despite its demonstrated value elsewhere. This study addresses the resulting gap by designing and evaluating a solution built specifically around robotic process automation.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To design and implement a robotic process automation-based approach to improving data privacy compliance in electronic health records.
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of Robotic Process Automation in enhancing data privacy compliance within electronic health records.
3. To identify the key requirements and constraints relevant to deploying robotic process automation in this context.
4. To assess user and stakeholder perception of the resulting system.

1.4 Research Questions

1. How can robotic process automation be applied to improve data privacy compliance in electronic health records?
2. How effective is Robotic Process Automation at enhancing data privacy compliance within electronic health records?
3. What requirements and constraints are relevant to deploying robotic process automation in this context?
4. How do users and stakeholders perceive the resulting system?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its immediate technical contribution, this study offers value to organizations evaluating whether to invest in robotic process automation for their own electronic health records, and contributes to the broader literature on applied software technology / IT by documenting a concrete implementation and evaluation case.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to the design, implementation, and evaluation of a robotic process automation-based approach to improving data privacy compliance within electronic health records. Reflecting its PhD-level scope, it does not extend to a full commercial rollout or long-term post-implementation review beyond the study period.