Restrictions on Nursing Students' Electronic Health Information Access

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Informatics
• Electronic Health Records

Background:

• Student restrictions on electronic health information access pose a threat to clinical learning and informatics competency.
• Lack of evidence hinders the development of effective informatics education and policy strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the extent of nursing students' access to and use of electronic health information systems.
• To gather insights from clinical instructors regarding student EHR system utilization.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to clinical faculty.
• 193 prelicensure nursing program faculty from 25 states participated.

Main Results:

• Students frequently encounter limitations in accessing patient health information and utilizing core EHR functions like charting and medication administration.
• A common workaround involves students using faculty or staff nurse system access credentials.

Conclusions:

• Findings indicate a need to critically evaluate current nursing curricula concerning informatics competency.
• Review of clinical site policies regarding electronic health records access for students is recommended.