Nurses' Experiences After Implementation of an Organization-Wide Electronic Medical Record: Qualitative Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Reports on the impact of electronic medical record (EMR) systems on clinicians are mixed. Currently, nurses' experiences of adopting a large-scale, multisite EMR system have not been investigated. Nurses are the largest health care workforce; therefore, the impact of EMR implementation must be investigated and understood to ensure that patient care quality, changes to nurses' work, and nurses themselves are not negatively impacted. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore Australian nurses' postimplementation experiences of an organization-wide EMR system. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study used focus group and individual interviews and an open-ended survey question to collect data between 12 and 18 months after the implementation of an EMR across 6 hospital sites of a large health care organization in Victoria, Australia. Data were collected between November 2020 and June 2021, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis comprised complementary inductive and deductive approaches. Specifically, reflexive thematic analysis was followed by framework analysis by the coding of data as barriers or facilitators to nurses' use of the EMR using the Theoretical Domains Framework. RESULTS: A total of 158 nurses participated in this study. The EMR implementation dramatically changed nurses' work and how they viewed their profession, and nurses were still adapting to the EMR implementation 18 months after implementation. Reflexive thematic analysis led to the development of 2 themes: An unintentional divide captured nurses' feelings of division related to how using the EMR affected nurses, patient care, and the broader nursing profession. This time, it's personal detailed nurses' beliefs about the EMR implementation leading to bigger changes to nurses as individuals and nursing as a profession than other changes that nurses have experienced within the health care organization. The most frequent barriers to EMR use by nurses were related to the Theoretical Domains Framework domain of environmental context and resources. Facilitators of EMR use were most often related to memory, attention, and decision processes. Most barriers and facilitators were related to motivation. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses perceived EMR implementation to have a mixed impact on the provision of quality patient care and on their colleagues. Implementing technology in a health care setting was perceived as a complex endeavor that impacted nurses' perceptions of their autonomy, ways of working, and professional roles. Potential negative consequences were related to nursing workforce retention and patient care delivery. Motivation was the main behavioral driver for nurses' adoption of EMR systems and hence a key consideration for implementing interventions or organizational changes directed at nurses.

The impact of COVID-19 on nurse alcohol consumption: A qualitative exploration.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurse alcohol consumption. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense disruption to healthcare services worldwide, and nurses have not been immune, experiencing burnout, declining mental health and ultimately, attrition from the profession. Increases in alcohol consumption have been reported across subsections of society, including those with pre-existing mental ill health and experiencing high stress, and exploring this phenomenon in nurses is essential for workforce well-being and sustainability. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study design. METHODS: Secondary analysis of individual, semi-structured interviews with nurses (N = 42) from diverse settings across Australia, including community, primary and hospital settings, conducted in July and August 2021. Data were analysed using structural coding and reported in accordance with the CORE-Q guidelines. FINDINGS: Two key themes were found after analysis of the data: (1) factors influencing alcohol consumption (subthemes: workplace factors and external factors), and (2) the pandemic's influence on alcohol consumption (subthemes: increased consumption, moderation of consumption and alcohol as a reward). CONCLUSIONS: Several participants described increased alcohol consumption because of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly due to the stress of working in an environment where resources were scarce. Workplace factors such as overtime, missed breaks and heightened workload were all described as driving stress, and in turn increased alcohol consumption. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Increased alcohol consumption has been associated with burnout, absenteeism and intention to leave. The nursing profession is currently undergoing significant continuing stress providing care and management to patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and increased alcohol consumption is a significant threat to personal and workforce well-being, workforce sustainability and quality nursing care.

Change in nurses' psychosocial characteristics pre- and post-electronic medical record system implementation coinciding with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: pre- and post-cross-sectional surveys.

BACKGROUND: The impacts of electronic medical record implementation on nurses, the largest healthcare workforce, have not been comprehensively examined. Negative impacts on nurses have implications for quality of patient care delivery and workforce retention. OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in nurses' well-being, intention to stay, burnout, work engagement, satisfaction, motivation and experience using technology pre- and post-implementation of an organisation-wide electronic medical record in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: The natural experiment comprised an electronic medical record system implementation across six hospitals of a large tertiary healthcare organisation. Cross-sectional surveys were collected pre-electronic medical record implementation prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2019, and 18-months post-electronic medical record implementation during the pandemic in 2020, and findings compared. RESULTS: A total of 942 surveys were analysed (550 pre-electronic medical record (response rate 15.52%) and 392 post-electronic medical record (response rate 9.50%)). Post-electronic medical record, nurses' work satisfaction (r = 0.23, p=<0.001), intention to stay (r = 0.11, p = 0.001) and well-being (r = 0.17, p=<0.001) decreased. Nurses' perceived competence increased (r = 0.10, p = 0.002) despite decreased autonomy (r = 0.10, p = 0.003). Two of three dimensions of work engagement worsened (vigour r = 0.13, p=<0.001; dedication r = 0.13, p=<0.001) and all dimensions of burnout increased (exhaustion r = 0.08, p = 0.012, cynicism r = 0.07, p = 0.04 and reduced efficiency r = 0.32, p=<0.001). Nurses reported more burnout symptoms (95% CI 4.6-4.7%, p = 0.036), were less engaged (95% CI 49.6-49.9%, p=<0.001) and career trajectory satisfaction decreased (r = 0.15, p=<0.001). Matched data from 52 nurses showed changes in the same direction for all items except career trajectory satisfaction, hence validated findings from the larger unmatched sample. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an electronic medical record immediately followed by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with negative changes in nurses' well-being, intention to stay, burnout, work engagement and satisfaction.

Depression, anxiety and stress among Australian nursing and midwifery undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate nursing and midwifery students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify socio-demographic and educational characteristics associated with higher depression, anxiety and stress scores. METHODS: Cross-sectional study during August-September 2020, using an anonymous, online, self-administered survey. E-mail invitations with a survey link were sent to 2,907 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing suite of courses, offered across four campuses of a single university in Victoria, Australia. Depression, anxiety and stress were assessed using the DASS-21. Data on socio-demographic and educational characteristics, self-rated physical health and exposure to COVID-19 were also collected. DASS-21 subscale scores were compared with existing data for various pre-pandemic and COVID-19 samples. Multiple regression was used to investigate factors associated with higher scores on depression, anxiety and stress subscales. RESULTS: The response rate was 22% (n=638). Mean scores on all DASS-21 subscales were significantly higher (p<0.001) than means from all comparative sample data. The proportions of students reporting moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were 48.5%, 37.2% and 40.2% respectively. Being a woman, being younger, having completed more years of study and having poorer self-rated general health were all significantly associated (p<0.05) with higher scores on at least one DASS-21 subscale. CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of participants reported at least moderate symptoms of depression; more than a third reported at least moderate symptoms of anxiety or stress. Poor psychological wellbeing can impact students' successful completion of their studies and therefore, has implications for nursing and midwifery workforce recruitment and retention. During and after pandemics, universities should consider screening undergraduate students not only for anxiety and stress, but also for depression. Clear, low-cost referral pathways should be available, should screening indicate that further diagnosis or treatment is required.

The impact of covid-19 on psychosocial well-being and learning for australian nursing and midwifery undergraduate students: a cross-sectional survey.

AIM: To explore the impact of COVID-19 on psychosocial well-being and learning for nursing and midwifery undergraduate students in an Australian university. BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has reported a substantial psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare professionals to date. Evidence is lacking, however, regarding university nursing and midwifery students of the pandemic and its impact on their educational preparation and/or clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of nursing and midwifery undergraduate students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing suite of courses from the study institution in August- September 2020. METHODS: A cross-sectional self-administered anonymous online survey was distributed to current nursing and midwifery undergraduate students. The survey included three open-ended questions; responses were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Of 2907 students invited, 637 (22%) responded with 288 of the respondents (45%) providing a response to at least one of the three open-ended questions. Three major themes associated with the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial well-being and learning were identified: psychosocial impact of the pandemic, adjustment to new modes of teaching and learning, and concerns about course progression and career. These themes were underpinned by lack of motivation to study, feeling isolated, and experiencing stress and anxiety that impacted on students' well-being and their ability to learn and study. CONCLUSIONS: Students were appreciative of different and flexible teaching modes that allowed them to balance their study, family, and employment responsibilities. Support from academic staff and clinical facilitators/mentors combined with clear and timely communication of risk management related to personal protective equipment (PPE) in a healthcare facility, were reported to reduce students' stress and anxiety. Ways to support and maintain motivation among undergraduate nursing and midwifery students are needed.