Perceived usefulness of data entry tools in medical encounters: a survey

Electronic Health Records allows direct data entry and is an important factor for accurate diagnosis. However, two drawbacks of this system is the time needed to create them, which can reduce health care professional productivity, and the fact that it is error prone. It is important, therefore, to select the most appropriate methods and tools for data entry by the health care providers at the point of care in order to minimize a loss of productivity. The study aims to understand health care professionals' perceptions of the data entry process, and determine the appropriate methods, tools and functions that would facilitate the process, minimize loss of productivity and improve quality. A questionnaire which consisting of 18 basic questions (including demographic data) was posted on a web site which hosts questionnaires, on an established online community space and also mailed to health care professionals who are working in various hospitals for a duration of 10 months. Totally, 533 medical care professionals who are primarily from Turkey participated in the survey, of which 284 were medical doctors, 127 were nurses and the rest, other medical professionals. While the clear majority of participants involved in data entry use keyboard and mouse, most expressed a preference for more convenient methods, such as voice recognition or touch screen. Furthermore, physicians reported rarely spending more than 15 min for each consultation and conducting 21-30 examinations a day. The main motivation for creating an efficient direct data entry is to increase time allowed for patient examination, and to improve accuracy of diagnosis. Despite a heavy workload, health care professionals are very receptive to the idea of using a convenient data entry tool and keeping electronic patient records. Emergent data entry technologies in health sector can improve the quality of examinations, physicians' productivity and can decrease the percentage of medical misdiagnosis.