Students' perceptions on their use of an EHR: pilot questionnaire study.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Digital Health Literacy
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Electronic health record (EHR) systems are crucial for modern clinical practice.
• Many nursing curricula lack integration of EHR training, hindering student preparedness.
• Incorporating real-world technologies is essential for effective clinical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a suitable training evaluation framework for EHR systems.
• To assess nursing students' perceptions of EHR training benefits.
• To measure changes in student proficiency and confidence with EHR systems post-training.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted to find an appropriate training evaluation framework.
• A pre-training and post-training survey assessed 47 nursing students.
• Participants were registered nurses on a return-to-practice course.

Main Results:

• Students reported a statistically significant improvement in perceived proficiency with digital clinical systems (p=0.041).
• Perceived knowledge of EHR systems increased, though not to a statistically significant level.
• Confidence in using EHR systems showed improvement, with a desire for further development.

Conclusions:

• EHR training enhanced students' perceived proficiency and confidence.
• Additional system use is recommended to further boost confidence and digital skills.
• Integrating EHR training is vital for preparing future healthcare professionals.