Registered nurses are divided on whether electronic health records have positively or negatively affected health care quality and patient safety, according to a new survey from AFT Healthcare, a subsidiary of the American Federation of Teachers, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 4/16).
The survey of 604 hospital RNs found that:
- 49% of respondents said EHRs had a positive effect on the overall quality of care; and
- 47% said EHRs had a negative effect or no effect at all.
When asked about whether EHR implementation had improved patient care:
- 39% of RNs said care was unchanged;
- 27% said care had improved; and
- 25% said care had worsened.
Effects on Work Environment
Although the majority of RNs surveyed said EHRs reduced medication errors and improved care coordination, nearly half reported that EHRs had a negative impact on stress levels.
In addition, about 50% of respondents said EHRs negatively affected the amount of time needed to chart patient information. Nurses were evenly split on whether EHRs had a positive or negative effect on the time spent on paperwork.
When asked about the ease of adopting EHR systems, 73% of RNs said implementation went smoothly. However, 52% of respondents noted that some physicians refuse to use the new systems (AFT Healthcare release, 4/16).