SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Identifying Hospitalists Sources of Frustrations in Health Information Technology Workflows

Pdf Summary

This study aimed to create a reliable, repeatable way to identify the most frustrating health information technology (HIT) problems in hospitalists’ daily workflows.<br /><br />Researchers first formed a focus group of 10 hospitalists at a large academic medical center. Over two weeks, participants received a daily text-message survey during rounding shifts to report HIT issues they encountered. Once responses began to repeat and no major new issues were emerging, the researchers stopped collecting new items. They then curated the reported concerns into a second survey containing 38 unique issues, which hospitalists from multiple facilities and states rated for severity on a Likert scale.<br /><br />Results showed that 82% of the issues were rated at least “somewhat frustrating,” and 26% were considered severe. The most frustrating problems were mainly related to electronic health record (EHR) use, especially alert-related issues.<br /><br />The study concluded that this method successfully identified the most significant HIT-related workflow frustrations and could be repeated over time. Because HIT problems change with EHR updates, workflow changes, and staff turnover, the process can help organizations continuously reassess and prioritize the most urgent usability issues. At the authors’ institution, 3 of the 11 highest-ranked issues had already been resolved or revised, showing the process can lead to practical improvements.

Asset Subtitle

Leigh Anne Goodman

Meta Tag

Author List Corneliu Antonescu, Kathryn Demitruk, Leigh Anne Goodman

Category Innovations

Concept Hospitalist Role

Concept Healthcare Technology

Concept Workflow

Concept Frustration

Concept Electronic Health Record

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix

Presenting Author Leigh Anne Goodman

Track Technology in Hospital Medicine

Keywords

health information technology

hospitalists

workflow frustrations

electronic health record

EHR alerts

usability issues

focus group

Likert scale

hospital workflow

patient safety

Hospitalist Role

Healthcare Technology

Workflow

Frustration

Electronic Health Record