Nurses' perceptions of nursing care documentation in the electronic health record

Electronic health records (EHRs) will soon become the standard for documenting nursing care. The EHR holds the promise of rapid access to complete records of a patient's encounter with the healthcare system. It is the expectation that healthcare providers input essential data that communicates important patient information to support quality decision making that is customized and precise for each person. Nurses comprise the largest portion of the healthcare team in U.S. hospitals and deliver more hours of patient care and perform more coordination of care than other healthcare disciplines during a typical hospital stay. This primary provider role makes nursing a primary contributor to the documentation of the total care of hospitalized patients and an important user of the EHR. This study uses the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model as a framework for the quantitative evaluation of how RNs view documentation in the EHR as relevant to their work. In addition, this study examines RNs satisfaction with the EHR as a representation of their work. Finally, the study explores influences of demographic factors on the RNs' belief in the relevancy of and satisfaction with the EHR.