Older Nurses' Perceptions of an Electronic Medical Record Implementation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Healthcare Technology Adoption
• Gerontology in Healthcare

Background:

• A significant proportion of the Australian nursing workforce (nearly 40%) comprises nurses aged 50 and older.
• This demographic may be at risk of workforce attrition due to difficulties encountered during electronic medical record (EMR) implementations.
• Understanding their perspectives is crucial for successful EMR integration and retention of experienced nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure psychological factors influencing older nurses' adoption of EMR systems.
• To explore facilitators and barriers perceived by older nurses regarding EMR adoption.
• To inform strategies supporting EMR implementation among this demographic.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed.
• Quantitative survey data and qualitative focus group data were collected from older nurses prior to EMR system introduction.
• The study focused on nurses aged 50 and older in Australia.

Main Results:

• Older nurses reported high work engagement and wellbeing scores (79.3%).
• Motivation for these nurses was primarily driven by external factors rather than intrinsic ones.
• Qualitative analysis identified themes indicating barriers to EMR use and resistance to adoption.

Conclusions:

• While older nurses are engaged and have high wellbeing, their motivation is externally focused.
• Barriers and resistance to EMR adoption exist among older nurses.
• Targeted support and strategies addressing identified barriers are necessary for successful EMR implementation in this nursing cohort.