THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD FUNCTIONALITIES IN THE STATE OF KANSAS WITH REGARD TO NURSING PRACTICE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the electronic health record functionalities of acute care hospitals in the state of Kansas with regard to nursing practice. From the perspective of the Chief Nursing Officer, what was the nurses' role in implementation of the electronic health record, what nursing documentation was in the electronic health record, and what factors led to the acceptance of the electronic health record by the nursing staff? It was also concerned with how, as the Chief Nursing Officer, the perception of their social capital might affect the implementation of their electronic health record. A survey was developed for this descriptive study to quantify the components of individual hospital's electronic health record, using the theoretical framework of Technology Acceptance Theory and Social Capital Theory. Chief Nursing Officers who were members of the Kansas Hospital Association were surveyed with a 48.8 % return. The results of the study revealed the Chief Nursing Officers were deeply aware of the importance of the electronic health record for promoting best possible outcomes for patients and for improving the delivery of quality nursing care. Social capital was not significantly correlated with the implementation of the electronic health record (r = -.013, p = .936). The study also revealed that for this population of Chief Nursing Officers, they felt powerful in their profession, felt the use of the electronic health record was important to provide safe, quality care to their patients and were active in their hospital's electronic health record implementation team. The Institute of Medicine challenged healthcare providers to transform the health care system in the United States into one that is fair, equitable, efficient, safe, and provides quality patient care, the results from this study may be a step towards that goal. vi Key words: electronic health record, functionalities, technology acceptance theory, social network theory, social capital, social capital theory.