Variation in use of informatics tools among providers in a diabetes clinic

A goal of health information technology (HIT) is to help eliminate variation when it may compromise safety, efficiency, or quality of care. This study utilized direct observation and semi-structured interviews to examine variability in HIT use among four nurse practitioners and four physicians in an ambulatory diabetes clinic and to assess the impact of this variability on patient care. While use of informatics tools for information access and communication was similar among all users, variability existed in patterns of data entry into the EMR. The study provides direction for developing new functionality that may be needed in HIT and suggests changes to existing functionality. By designing tools that meet user needs and workflows, adoption of informatics applications may be enhanced and patient safety and user satisfaction improved.