EHR use and patient satisfaction: What we learned.

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Health Informatics
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Studies quantitatively examining computer use's impact on patient satisfaction are limited.
• Understanding the relationship between clinician computer interaction and patient perception is crucial for improving healthcare quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess how clinician computer use influences patient satisfaction with the clinician and overall visit quality.
• To investigate the association between clinician gaze time and patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• 23 clinicians from 4 Veteran Affairs Medical Center clinics participated.
• Video recordings and usability software captured clinician computer use and patient-clinician interactions.
• Patients completed satisfaction surveys post-visit.

Main Results:

• Higher clinician "gaze time" toward patients was significantly associated with increased total patient satisfaction (beta=0.014; P=.027).
• Increased gaze time also correlated with greater patient satisfaction with patient-centered communication (beta=0.02; P=.02).
• A higher percentage of gaze time during a visit was linked to better patient-centered communication satisfaction (beta=0.628; P=.033).

Conclusions:

• Elevated clinician gaze time directed at patients positively predicts patient satisfaction.
• Clinicians should enhance multitasking abilities to maintain patient-centered communication while using electronic health records (EHRs).
• Findings suggest incorporating EHR training focused on non-disruptive communication during patient encounters.