Allied health professionals' experiences and lessons learned in response to a big bang electronic medical record...

There is limited evidence describing the impact of electronic medical record (EMR) implementation on allied health professionals' acceptance, expectations, and work efficiencies. This study aims to: A) identify clinician expectations and factors that influence EMR acceptance; B) evaluate perceived usability, technology proficiency and satisfaction; and C) assess the impact of EMR big bang implementation on allied health workflows at three Australian tertiary hospitals.

Repeated measures study pre and six-months post EMR implementation. User acceptance was evaluated with online surveys: Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (pre), System Usability Scale and open-ended questions (post). A four-hour time-motion study evaluated changes in allied health inpatient workflows.

Surveys were completed by 224 allied health clinicians (47% response rate) pre, and 196 (41%) post-implementation. Pre-implementation, 96% of respondents felt using the EMR was a good idea and they would find it useful. Six-months post-implementation 88% liked interacting with the EMR. 64% found it easy to use and most didn't require technical support (78%). While 68% of participants felt very confident, 51% believed they were not using the EMR's full potential. Post-implementation half of participants agreed significant upskilling was required and that EMR workflows were not quick to learn. Live demonstrations were considered the most helpful activity prior to training; hands-on practice in the training environment and superuser support were invaluable preparing for and during go-live. Time-motion data (mean difference (MD) (95% CI)) indicated that following implementation participants spent 2.27% (-3.53, 8.09, p = 0.731) more time in clinical tasks. More time was spent performing clinical documentation (5.39% (1.98, 8.8), p = 0.002).

Many factors can impact allied health professional's adoption of a new EMR. Institution-wide, simultaneous big bang EMR implementation, with strong allied health leadership, can lead to positive benefits, particularly in user experience. Ongoing evaluation will drive future improvements.