Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Leslie Welch Hopkins, DNP, APRN, BC, FNP-BC, ANP-BC
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Patricia Sengstack, DNP, RN-BC, FAAN, FACMI

DNP Project Abstract

Improving Electronic Health Record Usability in a Community Mental Health Center

Purpose
The clerical and administrative burden of the New Horizons Behavioral Health (NHBH) EHR is significant and the EHR is perceived as not user-friendly. NHBH providers complain that over half their time is spent documenting. Identifying a way to capture and report data efficiently is essential. The purpose of this project was to evaluate perceived usability of the NHBH EHR after the integration of smart text software.

Methods
This pilot project served as a quality improvement initiative. The Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology questionnaire was used to measure perceived EHR usability after the implementation of smart text software. This validated usability questionnaire is a non-proprietary computer-based interface measurement tool. It consists of 12 questions utilizing a Likert scale and boxes for free text responses. The purpose of this tool is to identify better measures to predict and explain the use of technology.

Results
A total of three individuals participated in the project. The total mean responses to the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the smart text software were 5.94 and 5.72 respectively out of a possible score of seven. These are moderately high scores. A moderately high score suggests potentially good organizationalwide adoption. The categories that rated highest in perceived usefulness (x=6) were increasing productivity and enhancement of job effectiveness. The categories that rated highest in perceived usefulness (x=6.67) were flexibility and understandability of the software.

Implications for Practice
The findings in this project are promising as this project illustrates how minimal financial investments in enhancing existing technology is a viable option that can yield a high return on investment. The next step is to determine if add-on smart text software can improve the quality of documentation and potentially improve patient management and outcomes.