Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Honor's Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Thesis Advisor
Kathleen Beebe RNC-OB, PhD
Abstract
This study explored the impact of electronic health record (EHR) use on registered nurses’ critical thinking, decision-making, and quality of care for hospitalized patients. Based on literature review, the researcher maintained a consistent definition of critical thinking and decision-making and how the use of the EHR affects these two complex yet significant processes. A descriptive survey design to assessed registered nurses’ attitudes and perceptions of how the EHR influences their clinical decision-making when caring for patients in an acute care setting. It found that nurses are aware that the EHR is beneficial, yet they often feel that electronically charting can be time consuming as they have to navigate through several tabs and document in places that are often complex and repetitive, taking time away from being more present at the patient’s bedside. Findings in this study supports a majority of those found in the literature review. Understanding how nurses’ are affected from interacting with the EHR as part of their daily routine will offer insights on what improvements can potentially be more efficient as nurses work to bring high quality patient care.