Nurses' experiences of using electronic health cecords in a public health care facility : Middle East, Qatar

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: Implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system comes with expected and unexpected challenges. Some constituents welcome the change and embrace the new technology, while others are resistant to the transition to a new system. The overall goal of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of nurses working with the EHR system using a sample of nurses from a chosen public-sector health care facility in Qatar. The significance of the study lies in the nurses' acceptance of the EHR system. The research question which has guided this study is: 'What were the experiences of nurses using electronic health records in a public health care facility in Qatar?Research methodology: A qualitative exploratory descriptive research study was done to explore nurses' experiences when using the EHR system. Permission was granted from the Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of Stellenbosch University (HREC Reference number: S18/04/087) and the health care facility in which the research study was done. All participants in the study signed individual informed consent forms and consent for the recording of the interviews. Audiotaped individual interviews were conducted with eleven nurses from a health care facility in Doha, Qatar. One pilot interview was conducted prior to data collection and was not included in the study. Participants included in the study had at least one year of experience with the EHR system and had worked at the facility for at least one year prior to the EHR implementation. Data were collected over a month from participants who worked in the inpatient unit, day care unit, outpatient unit and theatre. Data analysis were guided by using Graneheim and Lundman's four steps of qualitative content analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by following the four principles of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.Findings: The themes that emerged were training and education, technical challenges, completion of documentation, and end user. The participants expressed an overall satisfaction with the EHR system. Many participants confirmed that the EHR training prior to implementation was insufficient, which made it difficult to adapt to the EHR system. The age factor and insufficient computer skills were identified by participants as barriers that influenced EHR documentation. Recommendations: Training should be conducted that includes the end user's needs. The competency level and learning styles of end users must be identified in order to overcome training barriers.Conclusion: The study revealed that the use and adaptation to the EHR system at the facility was received with mixed feelings. Thus, the full potential of the EHR system can best be achieved, if it is well received and accepted.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University