Understanding the Association Between Electronic Health Record Satisfaction and the Well-Being of Nurses: Survey Study.

Saif Khairat,Shilpa Shrestha,Songzi Liu,Lin Xi,Charles Austin

doi:10.2196/13996

Saif Khairat, Shilpa Shrestha + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2196/13996

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Journal: JMIR nursing	Publication Date: Jun 23, 2020
Citations: 14	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract

BackgroundIntensive care unit (ICU) nurses experience high levels of burnout related to the high-stress environment. Management of electronic health records (EHR) is a contributing factor to physician burnout. However, limited research has established the relationship between the nurse’s well-being and EHR use.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the association between EHR use and the well-being of nurses.MethodsWe surveyed registered nurses employed at a major Southeastern medical center in the United States about their demographics, experience with EHRs, satisfaction with EHRs, and elements of well-being. The correlation between subgroup demographics and survey questions was examined using Kendall and Fisher tests.ResultsA total of 113 ICU registered nurses responded to the survey, of which 93 (82.3%) were females. The population had a mean age of 35.18 years (SD 10.65). A significant association was found between satisfaction and well-being scores, where higher EHR satisfaction was associated with higher self-reported well-being (correlation 0.35, P<.001). Nurses who were unhappy with the time spent in EHR use compared with direct patient care reported higher levels of stress (P<.001) and isolation (P=.009). Older nurses reported higher dissatisfaction with the amount of time spent on EHR tasks related to direct patient care compared to younger nurses (P<.001).ConclusionsAlthough nurses reported acceptable satisfaction scores with EHR use, deeper analysis suggests that EHR indirectly affects the well-being of nurses. These findings strongly indicate that lower EHR satisfaction can impact the well-being of nurses. More research is needed to optimize the nurse-EHR experience through more user-centered design approaches.

Highlights

The professional well-being of health care workers has been a topic of interest in research for decades, first mentioned in a study addressing physician burnout in 1981 [1]
Nurses who were unhappy with the time spent in electronic health records (EHR) use compared with direct patient care reported higher levels of stress (P
Older nurses reported higher dissatisfaction with the amount of time spent on EHR tasks related to direct patient care compared to younger nurses (P

Summary

Introduction

Background The professional well-being of health care workers has been a topic of interest in research for decades, first mentioned in a study addressing physician burnout in 1981 [1]. A wealth of research has been conducted since to analyze what burnout is, the risk factors for its development, its negative outcomes, and potential interventions to reduce its incidence It has been defined as one having feelings of hopelessness, apathy, and the eventual inability to function effectively in one’s professional role [2,3]. Hunsaker et al [4] identified age as a risk factor for nurses, with younger nurses exhibiting higher levels of burnout when compared with their older colleagues This finding is likely related to the large learning curve experienced by new nurses and can be expected to be higher in young nurses on high acuity units. Limited research has established the relationship between the nurse’s well-being and EHR use

Results

Discussion

Conclusion