News: Clinicians largely satisfied with EHRs with room for improvement, study finds

Most clinicians report a positive electronic health record (EHR) experience but there are several ways leadership can further improve it, according to a new KLAS report. Areas for improvement from leadership include providing accessible and ongoing training as well as enabling clinician participation in EHR governance.

Of the clinicians surveyed, 22% reported a net EHR experience score that put their organization at the highest level of EHR satisfaction—Level 6, or elite. However, nurses were proven more likely to report a basic or struggling EHR experience compared with clinicians; only 12% of nurses gave their EHR experience a net score that put their organizations at a Level 6.

Key differentiators between organizations in the elite and basic levels included the EHR’s integration capabilities and efficiency. A majority of physicians (62%) and nurses (71%) in Level 6 organizations reported satisfaction with their EHR’s external integration capabilities, compared with physicians (39%) and nurses (47%) in Level 1-3 organizations.

Similarly, most physicians (68%) and nurses (81%) in Level 6 organizations were satisfied with the efficiency of their EHRs, compared with 36% of physicians and 49% of nurses in Level 1-3 organizations.

Physicians and nurses highlighted several improvements in EHR experience in the past year, the study found. These include enhancements to clinical documentation, such as the use of ambient AI, reduced duplicate charting, and better templates. They also reported improved usability and navigation, including fewer clicks, shortcuts, and quick orders.

Areas of improvement, despite the progress in the past year, remain. Physicians and nurses both noted that training should not occur on the same day or in the same week but rather be spaced over 90 days. Additionally, when EHR upgrades occur, leadership should set clear expectations and overcommunicate.

The report offered recommendations for organizations seeking to improve their EHR satisfaction scores and to move from struggling/basic to moderate/strong. These include reducing inefficiencies, such as click-heavy workflows and duplicative documentation. In addition, the report suggests improving response times and integrating data from various internal and external sources, as this can help improve clinician satisfaction.

Editor’s note: To read the full report, click here. To read additional coverage from TechTarget, click here.