Nurses’ Challenges In the Utilization of Electronic Health Records at 37 Military Hospital, Ghana.

Abstract

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have become an essential tool in modern healthcare settings, providing numerous benefits to the health system. Considering the technicalities and digital nature of the EHR system, its utilization among nurses can be challenging due to various barriers. The study explored the challenges nurses face with using the EHR system at 37 Military Hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2024. Multistage sampling was used to sample 300 nurses. Data on challenges were grouped into three and were collected via a questionnaire (Likert scale). Using SPSS (version 27), descriptive and linear regression analyses were conducted at a 95% significance level. For technological and system-related challenges, the majority of the nurses consented that technical glitches and system downtime hinder their productivity when using the EHRs (85.0%); believed that interoperability issues between EHR systems create difficulties in accessing patient data from different facilities (66.3%); and data entry in the EHR is time-consuming which affects their ability to provide direct patient care (56.3%). Concerning workflow challenges, 65.3% of the nurses agreed that using the EHR system for documentation increases the time they spend on data entry tasks; and 49.3% agreed that EHR data entry requires frequent interruptions, affecting their focus on patient interactions. Regarding data security challenges, 72.0% of the respondents expressed concern about the security of patient data stored in the EHR system; 56.0% were confident in their ability to protect patient confidentiality and privacy when using the EHRs; and 52.0% agreed that ongoing training and updates on data security are readily available to support their knowledge and skills. Also, some demographic characteristics like age, gender, work experience, kind of ward/unit, and professional ranks of nurses were statistically associated with these challenges. Addressing these challenges can enhance patient care delivery and nursing practice efficiency.