Nurses' Perceptions of Electronic Charting

This qualitative descriptive case study was an exploration of nurses' perceptions of Electronic Charting and the impact on their workloads. Nineteen registered nurses provided their individual perspectives and lived experiences of how Electronic Charting impacted their daily workloads. Four themes that emerged from the data were as follows: electronic charting provided support to nurses in the care environment; electronic charting added to the challenging demands of the care environment; electronic charting did not have any bearing on the nurses' workload; and nurses expressed the need for inclusion in electronic Charting processes. The findings indicated that the majority of nurses in the study (63.2% of the nurses in the sample) perceived that Electronic Charting decreased their workloads. The other nurses in the sample felt that Electronic Charting increased their workloads or did not impact their workloads at all. Results of the study included the importance of training and support for nursing staff tasked with Electronic Charting. The study culminated in recommendations for leadership, more advanced technology training and suggestion for future research. Read on......