Provider Satisfaction with EHR directly coorelated to training. More is better

Interesting Report on Provider Satisfaction with EHR's and Correlation to training. 

Washington– 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:

1. Overall satisfaction with an EHR was highly correlated with whether the respondent was
involved in the EHR selection process.
2. At least three to five days of EHR training was necessary to achieve the highest level of
overall satisfaction.
3. Nearly half (49.3%) of respondents indicated that they received three or fewer days of training.
4. Ratings on ease of use for basic EHR functions required for Meaningful Use continued to
improve with more than two weeks of training.
5. 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).

“This report from AmericanEHR Partners demonstrates the power of collecting standardized
user satisfaction ratings across multiple specialties,” said Dr. Michael S. Barr, senior vice
president for medical practice, professionalism and quality at the American College of
Physicians. “We hope the insights gathered from this report will lead to better strategies for
initial EHR training and better usability for clinicians working on Meaningful Use
requirements.”

“The AmericanEHR Partners survey data strongly suggest that many physicians may be
receiving an inadequate amount of initial training on how to use their EHR,” noted Cientis CEO
Dr. Alan Brookstone. “Our analysis showed a substantial increase in overall EHR satisfaction
after three to five days of initial training. Consequently, we recommend this amount of training
when implementing an EHR system. Advanced Meaningful Use features, such as formulary
checking, required at least one week of training to show a significant improvement in usability.”
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.

AmericanEHR Partners continually collects and reports data on user satisfaction with EHRs,
health information technology, and the intention to purchase EHR systems. Within the past four
months, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Neurology, the
American College of Surgeons, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology have joined the
AmericanEHR Partners program. HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems
Society) also recently joined as a content partner. The growing number of collaborators will
contribute the depth and breadth of data AmericanEHR Partners can collect, analyze and provide
in order to advance the use of health information technology to improve care.