Electronic Health Record Transition The Patient Experience

Use of the EHR at the bedside is now commonplace, and some fear this may compromise their relationship with the patient. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a transition of an EHR on the patient experience. Three non-equivalent groups consisting of 55 patients responded to instrument questions at three distinct time points: baseline prior to transition and twice after the transition at 6 weeks and 6 months. Questions investigated the point-of-care computer use, user's comfort, and impact on patient relationship with a nurse or provider. Patients perceived more use of the computer by Nurses and a declining use by Others. Nurses remained comfortable using the computer over time, and the perception of Others declined. Nurses were perceived 2.3 times more likely than Others as changing the patient relationship and two times higher with a positive impact. The transition in the EHR did not seem to affect the overall patient experience; however, results should be viewed with caution given the limitations of this study and the dearth of evidence. Evidence-based guidelines for EHR integration may be helpful in the future to address inpatient encounters with all clinicians.