There's 3 in the bed: Registered Nurses, patients and electronic medical records

Background:
With safety at the forefront, electronic medical records (eMR) enable tracking of patients’ health care journeys with the aim of enacting early medical intervention to prevent patient clinical deterioration. Despite the broad adoption of eMR into clinical practice, integration of this technology in Australian undergraduate nursing programs has not occurred. To date minimal contemporary research has examined the experience, perceptions and culture of nurse-patient interactions utilising eMR at the bedside within the Australian context.
Objectives:
This research project is part of a larger study examining the impact of the integration of a simulated academic electronic medical records program into an undergraduate nursing program. A secondary focus was to explore Registered Nurses’ (RNs) perspectives of the simulated program and also their cultural work practices when utilising eMR in the clinical setting.
Methods:
A simulated Australian academic eMR (AAeMR) program was integrated into clinical subjects of an undergraduate nursing program within one regional university. Students practice providing care using a workstation on wheels housing realistic simulated patient medical records software. RNs were invited to visit the campus to view the simulated learning environment and the AAeMR in use.
Design and Analysis:
A purposive sample of Registered Nurses (N=9) participated in a focus group that was recorded and then transcribed. Thematic analysis was conducted on focus group contributions with four major themes emerging.
Impact:
Emerging themes will contribute to the understanding of how the delivery of healthcare is impacted by the presence of eMR. Key recommendations from this research include early introduction to electronic medical records in undergraduate education, development of best practice guidelines for teaching and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines.
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