Electronic medical record system avoidance in a turbulent environment

•We study the antecedents of physicians’ avoidance of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.•Our study is set in the context of the United States military's combat operations.•We test our model with 30,677 data points collected from an EMR system.•Avoidance is lower when the potential for information reusability is strong.•Avoidance is higher in urgent care situations.

We attempt to understand why and when physicians avoid electronic medical record (EMR) systems in a turbulent environment. Set in the context of the United States military's combat operations, we develop a research model based on theories of ambivalence in organizations and our particular context. We test our model with 30,677 data points collected from an EMR system. Our results show that avoidance is lower when the potential for information reusability is strong, yet avoidance is higher in urgent care situations. Our study has implications for research, practice, and policy in the area of turbulent health-care environments.