Usability Challenges in Electronic Health Records: Impact on Documentation Burden and Clinical Workflow: A Scoping...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Clinical Workflow Analysis

Background:

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are vital for preventive care but often burden clinicians with documentation tasks.
• Usability issues in EHR system and interface design can misalign with clinical workflows, increasing cognitive load.
• This study investigates EHR usability problems contributing to documentation burdens and workflow disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze specific usability issues within EHR systems.
• To understand how these issues lead to increased documentation burden.
• To examine the impact of EHR usability on clinical workflow disruptions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Ovid MEDLINE (2007-2024).
• The review followed Levac's methodology and PRISMA guidelines, including handsearching key journals.
• Included studies utilized qualitative, mixed methods, and time-motion study designs.

Main Results:

• 28 studies out of 2387 identified records met the inclusion criteria.
• Clinicians frequently experienced workflow disruptions due to poor EHR interface design.
• Issues included excessive task-switching, prolonged navigation, fragmented information, and necessitated workarounds, increasing errors and documentation time.

Conclusions:

• Improved EHR design is crucial to minimize documentation burden and workflow disruptions.
• A human factors approach is essential for optimizing EHR usability.
• Streamlining information retrieval and reducing task complexity are key to enhancing clinical efficiency.