State of the Science of Dimensions of Nurses' User Experience When Using an Electronic Health Record

Abstract

This integrative review synthesized relevant studies in the last decade associated to nurses' experience with the electronic health record using Robert and Lesage's dimensions of User Experience: functional, physical, perceptual, cognitive, psychological, and social. A comprehensive search was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance across four electronic databases. We included articles if they were specific to nurses' electronic health record experience and workflow, published between January 2008 and June 2018, and available in English. The search resulted in 793 records with 26 articles included in the final analysis. Articles ranged from quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and quality improvement studies. Across studies, the suboptimal design of the electronic health record affected the functional experience of nurses, often resulting in interruptions. The navigational design contributed to nurses' perceptual experience leading to many workarounds and workflow mismatches. Most of the studies reported overall satisfaction with the electronic health record that represented the psychological dimension of nurses' experience. Communication barriers due to the use of the electronic health record prevented nurses from having meaningful interaction with other clinicians and patients. Although nurses reported substandard user experience, many stated that reverting to a linear paper-based system was not an option.