Abstract:

Background:
The information and communication technology (ICT) are an everyday clinical practice.

Methodology:
We raised an observational study of quantitative cross through a specifically designed questionnaire. We studied three key aspects of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) such as continuity of care, data logging and usability to analyse the usefulness of the tool perceived by Primary Health Care (PHC) nurses. Study variables were age, sex, time working with the EHR and training that nurses recieved, care continuity, data logging and usability. We studied three different types of EHR device: ECAP (Estación clínica de atención primaria), the OMI-AP (Omi Atención primaria) and GO-WIN (Electronic health record System).

Results:
The results indicate that the most widely used in the PHC in Catalonia is the E-CAP, followed by the OMI-AP and GO-WIN that only uses a health care provider. Most participants in the study were women with a mean age of 40 years. They, mostly, more than 1 year working with the EHR and have received special training to use the EHR for 70 percent of them being nurses using ECAP which claim to have received more training. The age, sex and training received by the participants do not condition their assessment of the EHR. Of the three variables proposed, nurses perceive that EHR positively contributes to the continuity of care because allows to describe the patient´s care trajectory while they are indifferent regarding the data registration on the devices and its usability
Nurses with more time working with the EHR manifest worse perceived usefulness in the three variables studied, data logging work is the dimension where this is more evident.

Conclusions:
The EHR facilitates coordination, knowledge of the patient's care trajectory and provides continuity of care.
The adequacy of the record of the care in the EHR is the worst dimension valued by nurses, the longer they have been working with the device EHR the worst value.
Although nurses perceptions’ regarding the usability of the EHR is indifferent, it was considered as positive for not report very negative evaluations.

References:
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Keywords:

Nursing, primary care, information and communication technology and electronic medical records.