Nurse Managers' Experiences With Electronic Health Records in Quality Monitoring

Little is known about how hospital-based nurse managers use electronic health records (EHR) to monitor nurse-sensitive quality measures, or about how they learn to do so. This article describes the role of nurse managers in quality monitoring, their experience in using the EHR to monitor nurse-sensitive quality measures, and their related training. A convenience sample of nurse managers and directors (n = 28) was recruited to participate in semistructured interviews. The resulting data were analyzed, using content analysis. This study revealed 3 components of the nurse manager's quality-monitoring role: monitoring documentation, monitoring practice, and performing investigations. Facilitators for accessing EHR information included ease of navigation, timeliness and accessibility of reports, and usefulness of EHR tools. Participants described a range of formal and informal approaches to learning how to access information for quality monitoring in general and for the EHR specifically. The findings provide direction for further exploration of the EHR structures and processes needed to support nurse managers' information needs and quality-monitoring training.