Information and Data Visualization Needs among Direct Care Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses dedicate significant time, 22% of their shifts, to electronic health record (EHR) tasks.
• Inefficiencies and miscommunications during patient hand-offs in the ICU pose risks to patient safety.
• Redesigning EHR interfaces for improved information visualization during hand-offs is a key area for enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the specific information and visualization needs of direct care ICU nurses during patient hand-off.
• To gather data that can inform the redesign of EHR systems for better usability and efficiency.
• To understand current EHR usage patterns and satisfaction levels among ICU nurses.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, anonymous web-based survey was distributed to 107 direct care ICU nurses.
• Survey development was informed by semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders.
• Data analysis included frequencies, means, and medians to rank EHR data needs and preferences.

Main Results:

• 64% of nurses found current EHR visualizations insufficient for patient hand-offs.
• Key data needs identified include hemodynamics, continuous IV medications, laboratory results, and mechanical support devices.
• Preferred future EHR interfaces are organized by organ system (53%) and visualized by tasks/schedule (61%).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified critical information and visualization requirements for ICU nurses during patient hand-offs.
• Findings provide a foundational baseline for developing more effective and user-centered EHR interfaces.
• Addressing these needs has the potential to improve workflow efficiency and patient safety in the ICU.