Survey: Most physicians require more EHR training

Physicians do not receive adequate training to effectively use their EHRs, according to a report released by AmericanEHR Partners. Almost half (49.3 percent) of respondents received three or fewer days of training. However, three to five days of EHR training was necessary to achieve the highest level of overall satisfaction, according to the report.

Other key findings from the report included:

• Overall satisfaction with an EHR was highly correlated with whether the respondent was involved in the EHR selection process.
• Ratings on ease of use for basic EHR functions required for meaningful use continued to improve with more than two weeks of training.
• Ratings on ease of use for specific meaningful use measures varied significantly. More training–at least one week–was correlated with improvement in the reported usability of advanced EHR features (e.g. checking patient formulary, importing medication lists and medication reconciliation).

“This report from AmericanEHR Partners demonstrates the power of collecting standardized user satisfaction ratings across multiple specialties,” said Michael S. Barr, MD, senior vice president for medical practice, professionalism and quality at the American College of Physicians. “We hope the insights gathered from this report will lead to better strategies for initial EHR training and better usability for clinicians working on meaningful use requirements.”

The survey data, from more than 2,300 physicians, were collected from April 2010 to July 2011 on satisfaction with their use of EHR systems. The survey was conducted collaboratively with the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association of Medical Informatics, the Infectious Disease Society of America and the Renal Physicians Association.

The full report, "The Correlation of Training Duration With EHR Usability and Satisfaction: Implications For Meaningful Use," can be downloaded here.