Survey: Physicians Need More Training on How to Use EHRs

A report released today by AmericanEHR Partners highlights physicians’ experiences with the usability of EHRs to achieve some Meaningful Use requirements. The survey data, from more than 2,300 physicians, was collected from April 2010 to July 2011 on satisfaction with their use of EHR systems. It also provides strong evidence that clinicians do not receive adequate training to effectively use their EHRs.

The survey was conducted collaboratively with the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association of Medical Informatics, the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the Renal Physicians Association. Key findings from the report include:

• Overall satisfaction with an EHR was highly correlated with whether the respondent was involved in the EHR selection process.
• At least three to five days of EHR training was necessary to achieve the highest level of overall satisfaction.
• Nearly half (49.3 percent) of respondents indicated that they received three or fewer days of training.
• Ratings on ease of use for basic EHR functions required for Meaningful Use continued to improve with more than two weeks of training.
• Ratings on ease of use for specific Meaningful Use measures varied significantly. More training – at least one week – was correlated with improvement in the reported usability of advanced EHR features (e.g. checking patient formulary, importing medication lists, and medication reconciliation).

The full report, "The Correlation of Training Duration With EHR Usability and Satisfaction: Implications For Meaningful," and a corresponding chart pack can be downloaded at http://www.americanehr.com/education/research-reports.aspx. (Free registration is required for download.) An accompanying report, "Market Share and Top 10 Rated Ambulatory EHR Products by Practice Size," is also available for download.