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BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Care | Research article

Staff perspectives on the usability of electronic patient records for planning and delivering dementia care in nursing homes: a multiple case study

Authors: Kate Shiells, Angie Alejandra Diaz Baquero, Olga Štěpánková, Iva Holmerová

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

The electronic patient record (EPR) has been introduced into nursing homes in order to facilitate documentation practices such as assessment and care planning, which play an integral role in the provision of dementia care. However, little is known about how the EPR facilitates or hinders these practices from the end-user’s perspective. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative study was to explore the usability issues associated with the EPR for assessment and care planning for people with dementia in nursing homes from a staff perspective.

Methods

An exploratory, qualitative research design with a multiple case study approach was used. Contextual Inquiry was carried out with a variety of staff members (n = 21) who used the EPR in three nursing homes situated in Belgium, Czech Republic and Spain. Thematic analysis was used to code interview data, with codes then sorted into a priori components of the Health Information Technology Evaluation Framework: device, software functionality, organisational support. Two additional themes, structure and content, were also added.

Results

Staff provided numerous examples of the ways in which EPR systems are facilitating and hindering assessment and care planning under each component, particularly for people with dementia, who may have more complex needs in comparison to other residents. The way in which EPR systems were not customisable was a common theme across all three homes. A comparison of organisational policies and practices revealed the importance of training, system support, and access, which may be linked with the successful adoption of the EPR system in nursing homes.

Conclusions

EPR systems introduced into the nursing home environment should be customisable and reflect best practice guidelines for dementia care, which may lead to improved outcomes and quality of life for people with dementia living in nursing homes. All levels of nursing home staff should be consulted during the development, implementation and evaluation of EPR systems as part of an iterative, user-centred design process.
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Metadata
Title
Staff perspectives on the usability of electronic patient records for planning and delivering dementia care in nursing homes: a multiple case study
Authors
Kate Shiells
Angie Alejandra Diaz Baquero
Olga Štěpánková
Iva Holmerová
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01160-8

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