P51

Promoting EMR Competency in the Newly Hired Nurse

Date

October 11, 2023

Background: The ability of nurses to effectively utilize the electronic medical record in today’s high technology healthcare setting is critical. The electronic medical record provides accurate and timely patient care information shared among the patient care team. The quality of electronic documentation impacts patient safety, communication, efficiency, regulatory requirements, reimbursement, and quality of patient care. The preparation for the newly hired nurse begins with a strong onboarding program and consistent electronic medical record (EMR) training to establish baseline competency.

Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to show the effectiveness of a structured electronic documentation training class conducted for newly hired inpatient nurses in a hospital setting. The goal is to improve the current EMR training methodology and make a recommendation to add a skills competency and extend the training class to all newly hired nurses in this organization.

Methods: This was a quality improvement project that utilized a quantitative study design with 26 nurse participants. Participants were given a 31-question, multiple-choice pre-test based on the functionality of the hospital’s electronic documentation system. The participants attended an EMR training class conducted over a two-day period. The same knowledge-based evaluation was administered as a post-test.

Results: There were significant differences from pre-test to post-test and a significant increase in scores from pre-test to post-test. This indicates a significant increase in level of competency.

Conclusion: The healthcare organization would benefit from extending the EMR training to all newly hired nurses to increase levels of competency.

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