Nurses' perceptions of the electronic health record

The implementation of electronic health records (EHR) by health care organizations has been limited. Despite the broad consensus on the potential benefits of EHRs, health care organizations have been slow to adopt the technology. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore licensed practical and registered nurses' perceptions of the EHR in an ambulatory care setting. The central research question for this study was the following: What perceptions do licensed practical and registered nurses have regarding the implementation of an EHR? The sub-questions were: Sub-question 1: What are the nurses' perspectives of factors that encourage the adoption of an EHR? and Sub-question 2: What are the nurses' perspectives of the barriers that may hinder the adoption of an EHR? The pilot study included three participants, and the research study included 16 participants; the pilot participants were not included in the final study. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that selected participants shared the same characteristics. The data collected from the 16 transcribed interviews were analyzed using Moustakas' modification of van Kaam's method of analyzing phenomenological data. The following seven key themes emerged: 1) Advantages of transitioning from a paper medical record to an electronic health record; 2) Disadvantages of transitioning from a paper medical record to an electronic health record; 3) Communication; 4) Impact of the EHR on the quality and quantity of nurses' work; 5) Skills needed for successful implementation of an EHR; 6) EHR adoption factors; and 7) EHR hindrance factors. The findings of this study supported the adoption of an EHR in an ambulatory care setting in an academic hospital and provided important insights into EHR implementation.