Evaluating Clinical Staff Perceptions of EHR Usability, Satisfaction, and Adaptation to a New EHR: A Multisite,...

Area of Science:

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

Background:

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) significantly alter clinical practice, potentially increasing documentation burden and clinician burnout.
• Assessing EHR usability is crucial for mitigating negative impacts on healthcare professionals.
• Understanding factors influencing EHR adoption and satisfaction is key to optimizing system implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate group-level perceptions of EHR usability before and after a new EHR system implementation.
• To measure clinical staff adaptation to the new EHR system.
• To determine the influence of clinical role, setting, and specialty on EHR usability and adaptation.

Main Methods:

• Pre- and postimplementation surveys utilizing the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) and Health Information Technology Adaptation survey.
• Statistical analysis including unpaired t-tests and multiway analyses of variance (MANOVAs) with Bonferroni correction.
• Data collected from clinical staff at two academic medical centers (AMCs) within the same health system.

Main Results:

• Perceptions of Quality of Work Life (QWL), Perceived Usefulness (PU), and User Control (UC) generally improved postimplementation.
• Perceived Ease of Use and Cognitive Support/Situational Awareness scores declined after EHR implementation.
• Significant differences in usability and adaptation scores were observed based on clinical role, setting (e.g., Emergency Department), and specialty (e.g., Emergency Medicine, Critical Care).

Conclusions:

• New EHR implementation can enhance certain aspects of clinician experience like QWL, PU, and UC.
• Declines in perceived ease of use and cognitive support highlight areas for system refinement.
• Tailored strategies addressing specific roles, settings, and specialties are necessary to optimize EHR usability and minimize clinician burden.