Facilitating Adoption of an Electronic Documentation System

Abstract

This project was a descriptive, performance improvement initiative intended to evaluate user satisfaction with the Clinical Procedure (CP) Flowsheet, an electronic documentation system. The use of a computerized documentation system has been shown to improve the accessibility, availability, completeness, and accuracy of clinical documentation. The evidence suggests that user satisfaction with information technology improves actual system use. User acceptance of the CP Flowsheet is vital to facilitate successful adoption and optimize the benefits of technology in care delivery settings. The CP Flowsheet application was implemented in a single geriatric extended care (GEC) unit of a large healthcare system. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation and Davis’ Technology Acceptance Model were used to guide system adoption and improve user experience of the innovation. Davis’ (1989) Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) questionnaire was distributed to 24 nursing staff working in the GEC unit nine weeks post-system implementation. Survey results indicated that respondents perceived CP Flowsheet as easy to use (Mean - 35.88; SD - 6.42), and useful in accomplishing their documentation tasks (Mean -36.29; SD - 6.03). The overall mean satisfaction rating of 72.17 (SD=12.13) implied a good level of user satisfaction with the documentation system. These findings provide an excellent defense and a solid argument to elicit support for a facility-wide implementation of the CP Flowsheet. Successful adoption of an electronic documentation system can improve accessibility, completeness and accuracy of nursing care documentation.