The experience of home nurses with an electronic nursing health record

Electronic records are currently being introduced in both the hospital and the home care setting. However, there are few studies focusing on the evaluation of an electronic nursing record (ENR) from applicability to technicality and soft- and hardware, and from the perspective of home nurses.

The study aims to evaluate home nurses' experiences with an ENR.

A qualitative, explorative study was used by means of 13 in-depth interviews with home nurses, head nurses and Administrators, and four focus groups with a total of 24 home nurses. All participants were employees of the Wit-Gele Kruis, an organization for home nursing in Flanders, Belgium.

This study revealed three levels that feature the implementation and integration of an ENR in home nursing: the preparation, the technicality of the ENR and the 'user' as an individual. Despite technical difficulties, the home nurses are willing to give the ENR a chance, because they believe in its value. But, at the same time, they are trying to find a balance between this belief and their capacity to learn to work with an IT device. This involves the need to integrate the ENR in their daily work, to meet their responsibility towards the patient and their belief that his care comes first, the impact of technical difficulties on their workload and the integration of the ENR in their personal lives.

This study provided insights in the necessity for a multilevel approach when implementing an ENR in home nursing.