Evaluation of Health Professions Trainee Experiences Transitioning to New VHA Electronic Health Record

Electronic health record (EHR) transitions are disruptive events that negatively impact staff. Health professions trainees (HPTs) play a critical role in providing patient care, but the impact of EHR transitions on clinical training and care is unknown. This study sought to examine HPT experiences during a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) EHR transition.

The evaluation team at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, which was transitioning to the new Cerner/Oracle Health EHR, conducted a mixed-methods analysis. Qualitative data included semistructured interviews with 19 HPTs, supervisors, and site leaders about their experiences. Quantitative data included 103 responses to 3 surveys.

The evaluation team identified 6 findings among the HPT responses: (1) transition management was viewed as poor; (2) EHR training was not relevant; (3) they were hopeful about the new EHR; (4) in-house support was considered essential; (5) learning Cerner/Oracle Health was rapid; and (6) the transition impacted clinical training, but not career plans.

HPTs detailed transition experiences that were meaningfully better than those described by HPTs at earlier transition sites. The VHA should understand and mitigate the negative impact of transitions to ensure beneficial clinical training experiences and the delivery of quality patient care.