Clinician Perceptions of a Mobile Electronic Health Record Application

Abstract

Problem and Purpose: Due to healthcare technology advancements, increasing patient acuity, and patient safety efforts, the Informatics Department at a research hospital has undertaken an initiative to provide remote access of the organization's Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to clinicians via a mobile application. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to test the prototype EHR mobile application to ascertain clinicians’ perceptions of the system, evaluate potential usability, and gauge overall satisfaction prior to implementation. Methods: Clinicians (N=10) who had been working at the hospital for at least 6 months were randomly recruited. Usability testing was completed using the EHR mobile application testing environment. Clinicians completed a pre-test survey regarding their perceptions of the utility of having mobile EHR access prior to reviewing the application. The clinicians were then instructed to navigate the system on their own for a few minutes and were provided with a script with instructions for order entry and results review. Once done with the application, the clinicians completed the post-test survey, a usability questionnaire, and answered several open-ended questions. The responses were captured using Microsoft Forms and Microsoft Excel. Results: The pre-test data indicated that 60% of clinicians strongly agree that having access to the mobile application would be clinically useful. This increased to 80% after the clinicians viewed and used the application. The pre-test data also revealed that 70% of the clinicians agreed that the mobile application would improve patient care. After using the application, this increased to 100%. Prior to using the application, 80% of clinicians agreed that that the application would increase clinicians’ productivity. After viewing the application, there was an increase to 100%. Additionally, a paired sample t-test indicated that there was a significant difference (p<0.005) in the mean score between the pre and post-test, suggesting that there was a significant change in the clinicians’ perception of the mobile application after using it. The usability survey revealed that at least 70% of clinicians strongly agreed and 30% agreed that they would use the mobile application frequently, with 100% confidence in its utilization. About 90% thought it was easy to use. Based on the overall responses from the clinicians, the application is viewed as intuitive and user friendly. Conclusions: The goal of this quality improvement project was to determine the usability and usefulness of an EHR mobile application. Findings from surveyed clinicians indicated that the mobile EHR application is user friendly and that it will allow increased access to patient data therefore provide a high-level of patient care.