IT Is From Mars and Physicians From Venus: Bridging the Gap

With increasing adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and legislative mandates for its use within the United States, collaboration between physicians and information technology (IT) staff is essential. Current challenges that physicians face include addressing EHR usability, system performance, adequate training, issue resolution, regulatory compliance, and lack of awareness of IT roles. These challenges lead to gaps in communication between clinicians and IT staff. Strategies to improve collaboration between physicians and IT staff include increasing physician involvement with health information technology software development, involvement with legislative regulations and standards, IT project implementation, as well as system stabilization and optimization. Other key strategies to improve collaboration are also addressed, including proper leadership support, proper training, and proper issue triage. Improved collaboration can result in more effective EHR design and implementation which in turn can enhance the end user experience and patient care.