Electronic Record Adoption and Use Among Nurse Practitioners in British Columbia

Abstract

There has been a research focus on physician adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs). However, there has been less research into nurse practitioner (NP) use of EMRs. The authors present findings on the adoption and use of EMRs by NPs arising from a survey of the patterns of NP practices in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The research reveals a high rate of NP adoption of EMRs, with 82% of respondents indicating that they were using the technology. However, only 19% of NPs were using fully electronic records while 63% were using hybrid records, with only components of the electronic record being available. Respondents were found to be using several EMR features and functions, namely patient demographics, clinical notes, medication lists, laboratory results, and patient problems. NPs' high rate of EMR adoption suggests that there is much to be learned regarding the effect of eHealth strategies on EMR adoption.