Unintended consequences of electronic health records represent undesired effects on individuals or systems, which may contradict initial goals and impact patient care. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a new quantitative measure called the Carrington-Gephart Unintended Consequences of Electronic Health Record Questionnaire (CG-UCE-Q) was valid and reliable. Then, it was used to describe acute care nurses' experience with unintended consequences of electronic health records and relate them to the professional practice environment. Acceptable content validity was achieved for two rounds of surveys with nursing informatics experts (n = 5). Then, acute care nurses (n = 144) were recruited locally and nationally to complete the survey and describe the frequency with which they encounter unintended consequences in daily work. Principal component analysis with oblique rotation was applied to evaluate construct validity. Correlational analysis with measures of the professional practice environment and workarounds was used to evaluate convergent validity. Test-retest reliability was measured in the local sample (N = 68). Explanation for 63% of the variance across six subscales (patient safety, system design, workload issues, workarounds, technology barriers, and sociotechnical impact) supported construct validity. Relationships were significant between subscales for electronic health record-related threats to patient safety and low autonomy/leadership (P < .01), poor communication about patients (P < .01), and low control over practice (P < .01). The most frequent sources of unintended consequences were increased workload, interruptions that shifted tasks from the computer, altered workflow, and the need to duplicate data entry. Convergent validity of the CG-UCE-Q was moderately supported with both the context and processes of workarounds with strong relationships identified for when nurses perceived a block and altered process to work around it to subscales in the CG-UCE-Q for electronic health record system design (P < .01) and technological barriers (P < .01).

The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify the sources of job-related stress which create excessive pressures for the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs; (2) identify the strategies that the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs find most helpful in coping with stress; (3) determine the relationship among demographic variables and job-related stressors as perceived by the directors and faculty of medical record administration and medical record technology programs; and (4) determine the difference among the means of five stress factors as perceived by the directors of medical record administration, faculty of medical record administration, directors of medical record technology and faculty of medical record technology programs. Questionnaires were mailed to 403 respondents. The response rate was 81.3%. Within the limitations of this study, the results revealed that "Having insufficient time to keep abreast of current developments in my field"was the highest stressor. The top stress coping strategy was "Social interaction." The relationship between demographic variables and five stress factors of reward and recognition, time constraint, departmental influence, professional identity and student interaction revealed a positive correlation between degree and professional identity factor, and a negative correlation between degree and student interaction factor. The results also indicated a positive correlation between type of program and the factors-time constraint, professional identity and student interaction; a positive correlation between academic rank and the factors--time constraint and student interaction; a positive correlation between teaching responsibilities and time constraint factor; and a positive correlation between marital status and professional identity factor. The directors and faculty of medical record administration perception of time constraint and professional identity factors differed from that of the directors and faculty of medical record technology programs.

INTRODUÇÃO: As taxas de mortalidade para doença de Chagas variam, consideravelmente de 0,2 a 19,2% anualmente dependendo principalmente do estágio da doença. Considera-se que pacientes na fase indeterminada tem taxas baixas, semelhante a população em geral. Este estudo compara a taxa de mortalidade e as causas de morte de doadores de sangue da Fundação Pró-Sangue - Hemocentro de São Paulo (FPS) soropositivos para a doença de Chagas e de doadores soronegativos para todos os testes de triagem realizados no processo de doação. Doadores de sangue constituem uma população, na qual os indivíduos soropositivos são em sua maioria assintomáticos. MÉTODOS: Este é um estudo de coorte retrospectiva de doadores de sangue de 1996 a 2000: 2842 doadores soropositivos para doença de Chagas e 5684 doadores soronegativos para todos os testes de triagem. O status vital foi designado realizando-se o relacionamento probabilístico de dados (RPD) utilizando-se o Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade do Brasil (SIM). Utilizamos um método RDP validado preliminarmente com sensibilidade de 94% (IC 95%, 90% - 97%), especificidade de 100% (IC 95%, 98% - 100%). Apenas os dados dos anos 2001 a 2009 do SIM foram disponibilizados para análise. Análise univariada foi conduzida considerando desfechos e fatores de riscos potenciais. Os testes Chi-quadrado e Exato de Fisher foram utilizados conforme apropriado. A diferença de sobrevida dos dois grupos no tempo foi graficamente representada pela Curva de Kaplan-Meyer e testado pelo teste Logrank. Regressões múltiplas de Cox foram utilizadas para derivação de riscos relativos instântaneos (hazard ratios - HR) para os desfechos do estudo, ajustando-se por varíaveis de confusão. RESULTADOS: RPD encontrou 159 óbitos entre os 2842 doadores soropositivos (5,6%) e 103 óbitos entre os 5684 doadores soronegativos (1,8%). A sorologia de doadores foi associada com óbitos relacionados a doença de Chagas (HR 2,3 - IC 95%: 1,8 - 3,0). As curvas de sobrevida foram diferentes quando comparando doadores soropositivos e soronegativos, jovens e velhos (p < 0,001). Das 159 mortes entre doadores soropositivos, 26 foram devidas a doença de Chagas (CID-10: B57.0 - B57.5), 47 foram devidas a outras doenças cardíacas (CDI-10: I10 a I80.2), sem menção a doença de Chagas como uma causa associada, e apenas 1 com menção a doença de Chagas na Parte II da declaração de óbito. CONCLUSÕES: Doadores de sangue soropositovs seguidos retrospectivamente por 9 a 14 anos morrem ao menos 2,3 vezes mais que doadores soronegativos. As causas de morte no SIM podem estar mal classificadas para os doadores de sangue soropositivos assintomáticos / INTRODUCTION: Mortality rates for Chagas\' disease vary considerably between 0.2 and 19.2% annually depending mostly on the stage of the disease. Patients at the indeterminate phase are considered to have low rates, similar to the overall population. This study compares mortality rates and causes of death of blood donors seropositive for Chagas\' disease and seronegative for all screening tests at Fundação Pró-Sangue - Hemocentro de São Paulo (FPS). Blood donors constitute a particular population in which seropositive individuals are mostly asymptomatic. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of blood donors from 1996 to 2000: 2842 seropositive for Chagas disease and 5684 seronegative. Death status was ascertained by performing probabilistic record linkage (RL) with the national mortality information system (SIM). RL was validated in a preliminary study and sensitivity and specificity of the method were determined to be 94% (CI 95%, 90% - 97%) and 100% (CI 95%, 98% - 100%) respectively. Only SIM records for 2001 to 2009 were available for analysis. Univariate analysis was conducted considering outcomes and potential risks factors. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test were used as appropriate. The different survival of the two groups over time was graphically represented by the Kaplan-Meier curve and tested with the Logrank test. Multiple Cox regressions were used to derive Hazard ratios (HR) for the outcomes studied, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Reidentified 159 deaths among the 2842 seropositive blood donors (5.6%) and 103 deaths among the 5684 seronegative (1.8%). Serology of blood donors was associated with Chagas disease related death (HR 2.3 - 95% IC: 1.8 - 3.0). The survival curves differed when comparing seropositive and seronegative donors, young and old (p < 0.001). Out of the 159 deaths among seropositive donors, 26 were due to Chagas disease (ICD10 B57.0 - B57.5), 47 were due to other heart diseases (ICD10 - I10 to I80.2), with no mention of Chagas disease as an associated cause, and only 1 with Chagas disease mentioned in Part II of death certificate. CONCLUSIONS: Seropositive blood donors die at least 2.3 times more than seronegative donors. Causes of death in SIM may be misclassified for asymptomatic seropositive individuals

All legitimerad personal inom hälso- och sjukvården är skyldiga att dokumentera. Noggrann dokumentation vid inskrivning utifrån checklistan leder till säker vård. Det som inte dokumenteras syns inte, är lätt att missa vid överrapportering och kan leda till lidande för patienten. Dokumentationen är central i kommunikationskedjan och ett hjälpmedel för all vårdpersonal. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka följsamhet till checklista vid inskrivning av patienter i samband med dokumentation i datajournal på medicinsk/geriatrisk akutvårdsavdelning.  Metod: En kvantitativ och explorativ studie med deduktiv ansats genomfördes. Datainsamlingen bestod av journalgranskning utifrån en förutbestämd checklista som används vid inskrivning. Journalgranskningen utfördes på tio inneliggande patienters journaler på en medicinsk/geriatrisk akutvårdsavdelning på ett länsdelssjukhus i södra Sverige. Resultat: Checklistan vid inskrivning följdes till ca 70 % på den medicin/geriatriska akutvårdsavdelning medan ca 30 % av sökorden i checklistan var dokumentation utförd på akutmottagningen. Dokumentationen fördes under relevant sökord. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att sjuksköterskor på medicinsk/geriatrisk akutvårdsavdelning följde flertalet sökord utifrån checklistan vid inskrivningstillfället. Andra sökord i checklistan fanns redan dokumenterade från akutmottagningen när patienten kom upp till akutvårdsavdelningen. / All licensed healthcare professionals have an obligation to document. Keeping an accurate documentation in the electronic health record leads to a patient-safe care. Documentation is key in the communication between healthcare professionals and an important tool in the care that is given. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate adherence to the checklist when documenting in the electronic health record in connection to admitting a patient at a medical/geriatric emergency care department. Method: Quantitative exploratory reviews of electronic health records. A quantitative method with a deductive approach was used when processing data. Data collection consisted of electronic health record reviews based on the checklist used at admittance. The records viewed were those of patients admitted to an emergency care department at a district hospital in southern Sweden. Results: 70% of the documentation from the checklist was kept at the medical/geriatric emergency department while the other 30% where documentation from the emergency room. Documentation was kept under the right search words. Conclusion: Results showed that most keywords were followed by the nurses at the medical/geriatric emergency department and the missing keywords were already documented by nurses at the emergency room.

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-07-18T12:21:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 42c.pdf: 1016491 bytes, checksum: 407619e0114b592531ee5a68ca0fd0f9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-18T12:21:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 42c.pdf: 1016491 bytes, checksum: 407619e0114b592531ee5a68ca0fd0f9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / Este trabalho propõe um processo de investigação do conteúdo de uma base de dados, composta por dados descritivos e pré-estruturados do domínio da saúde, mais especificamente da área da Reumatologia. Para a investigação da base de dados, foram compostos 3 conjuntos de interesse. O primeiro composto por uma classe com conteúdo descritivo relativo somente a área da Reumatologia em geral, e outra cujo seu conteúdo pertence a outras áreas da medicina. O segundo e o terceiro conjunto, foram constituídos após análises estatísticas na base de dados. Um formado pelo conteúdo descritivo associado as 5 maiores frequências de códigos CID, e outro formado por conteúdo descritivo associado as 3 maiores frequências de códigos CID relacionados exclusivamente à área da Reumatologia. Estes conjuntos foram pré-processados com técnicas clássicas de Pré-processamento tais como remoção de Stopwords e Stemmer. Com o objetivo de extrair padrões que através de sua interpretação resultem na produção de conhecimento, foram aplicados aos conjuntos de interesse técnicas de classificação e associação, visando à relação entre o conteúdo textual que descreve sintomas de doenças com o conteúdo pré-estruturado, que define o diagnóstico destas doenças. A execução destas técnicas foi realizada através da aplicação do algoritmo de classificação Support Vector Machines e do algoritmo para extração de Regras de Associação Apriori. Para o desenvolvimento deste processo foi pesquisado referencial teórico relativo à mineração de dados, bem como levantamento e estudo de trabalhos científicos produzidos no domínio da mineração textual e relacionados a Prontuário Médico Eletrônico, focando o conteúdo das bases de dados utilizadas, técnicas de pré-processamento e mineração empregados na literatura, bem como os resultados relatados. A técnica de classificação empregada neste trabalho obteve resultados acima de 80% de Acurácia, demonstrando capacidade do algoritmo de rotular dados da saúde relacionados ao domínio de interesse corretamente. Também foram descobertas associações entre conteúdo textual e conteúdo pré-estruturado, que segundo a análise de especialistas, podem conduzir a questionamentos quanto à utilização de determinados CIDs no local de origem dos dados. / This study suggests a process of investigation of the content of a database, comprising descriptive and pre-structured data related to the health domain, more particularly in the area of Rheumatology. For the investigation of the database, three sets of interest were composed. The first one formed by a class of descriptive content related only to the area of Rheumatology in general, and another whose content belongs to other areas of medicine. The second and third sets were constituted after statistical analysis in the database. One of them formed by the descriptive content associated to the five highest frequencies of ICD codes, and another formed by descriptive content associated with the three highest frequencies of ICD codes related exclusively to the area of Rheumatology. These sets were pre-processed with classic Pre-processing techniques such as Stopword Removal and Stemming. In order to extract patterns that, through their interpretation, result in knowledge production, association and classification techniques were applied to the sets of interest, aiming at to relate the textual content that describes symptoms of diseases with pre-structured content, which defines the diagnosis of these diseases. The implementation of these techniques was carried out by applying the classification algorithm Support Vector Machines and the Association Rules Apriori Algorithm. For the development of this process, theoretical references concerning data mining were researched, including selection and review of scientific publications produced on text mining and related to Electronic Medical Record, focusing on the content of the databases used, techniques for pre-processing and mining used in the literature, as well as the reported results. The classification technique used in this study reached over 80% accurate results, demonstrating the capacity the algorithm has to correctly label health data related to the field of interest. Associations between text content and pre-structured content were also found, which, according to expert analysis, may be questioned as for the use of certain ICDs in the place of origin of the data.

L’utilisation des TIC à l’hôpital prend une place de plus en plus importante et son développement ne cesse de croître. Le cadre juridique applicable se révèle cependant complexe à appréhender, composé à la fois de textes de droit commun et de textes plus spécifiques, le tout formant un ensemble pas toujours cohérent. Pour accompagner au mieux l’utilisation des TIC à l’hôpital, le législateur doit trouver le juste équilibre entre cadre propice pour le développement de ces pratiques, protection des droits fondamentaux et sécurisation des pratiques. Or, à l’heure actuelle, le cadre juridique applicable à l’utilisation des TIC à l’hôpital ne permet pas d’assurer cet équilibre délicat. Les pouvoirs publics ont donc un rôle stratégique à jouer dans la sécurisation de l’utilisation des TIC à l’hôpital. Une impulsion nationale doit être donnée en la matière, afin d’assurer la cohérence des projets développés, au travers d’une gouvernance forte. Le cadre juridique doit, quant à lui, être rénové afin d’accompagner l’innovation dans le numérique en santé et assurer la sécurité juridique nécessaire à la bonne utilisation des TIC. Dans ce contexte, les hôpitaux ont un rôle essentiel à jouer afin de sécuriser leurs pratiques / The use of ICT has become increasingly important in hospitals. However, the legal framework structuring its use is very complex to grasp. Indeed, it is made up of general laws as well as specific ones and makes this framework sometimes unconsistent. To provide an optimal legal framework for the ICT to expand safely, the legislator needs to strike the right balance between protecting fundamental rights and securing practices. As the current legal framework does not provide this delicate balance, public authorities have a strategic role to play to ensure a secure use of ICT within hospitals. To guarantee the development of consistent projects, a strong governance has to set up a national leadership. The legal framework needs to be rehabilitated to support digital innovation in Healthcare and to ensure a legal protection required for an appropriate use of ICT. Hospitals have then a key role to play in securing their practices

INTRODUÇÃO: As taxas de mortalidade para doença de Chagas variam, consideravelmente de 0,2 a 19,2% anualmente dependendo principalmente do estágio da doença. Considera-se que pacientes na fase indeterminada tem taxas baixas, semelhante a população em geral. Este estudo compara a taxa de mortalidade e as causas de morte de doadores de sangue da Fundação Pró-Sangue - Hemocentro de São Paulo (FPS) soropositivos para a doença de Chagas e de doadores soronegativos para todos os testes de triagem realizados no processo de doação. Doadores de sangue constituem uma população, na qual os indivíduos soropositivos são em sua maioria assintomáticos. MÉTODOS: Este é um estudo de coorte retrospectiva de doadores de sangue de 1996 a 2000: 2842 doadores soropositivos para doença de Chagas e 5684 doadores soronegativos para todos os testes de triagem. O status vital foi designado realizando-se o relacionamento probabilístico de dados (RPD) utilizando-se o Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade do Brasil (SIM). Utilizamos um método RDP validado preliminarmente com sensibilidade de 94% (IC 95%, 90% - 97%), especificidade de 100% (IC 95%, 98% - 100%). Apenas os dados dos anos 2001 a 2009 do SIM foram disponibilizados para análise. Análise univariada foi conduzida considerando desfechos e fatores de riscos potenciais. Os testes Chi-quadrado e Exato de Fisher foram utilizados conforme apropriado. A diferença de sobrevida dos dois grupos no tempo foi graficamente representada pela Curva de Kaplan-Meyer e testado pelo teste Logrank. Regressões múltiplas de Cox foram utilizadas para derivação de riscos relativos instântaneos (hazard ratios - HR) para os desfechos do estudo, ajustando-se por varíaveis de confusão. RESULTADOS: RPD encontrou 159 óbitos entre os 2842 doadores soropositivos (5,6%) e 103 óbitos entre os 5684 doadores soronegativos (1,8%). A sorologia de doadores foi associada com óbitos relacionados a doença de Chagas (HR 2,3 - IC 95%: 1,8 - 3,0). As curvas de sobrevida foram diferentes quando comparando doadores soropositivos e soronegativos, jovens e velhos (p < 0,001). Das 159 mortes entre doadores soropositivos, 26 foram devidas a doença de Chagas (CID-10: B57.0 - B57.5), 47 foram devidas a outras doenças cardíacas (CDI-10: I10 a I80.2), sem menção a doença de Chagas como uma causa associada, e apenas 1 com menção a doença de Chagas na Parte II da declaração de óbito. CONCLUSÕES: Doadores de sangue soropositovs seguidos retrospectivamente por 9 a 14 anos morrem ao menos 2,3 vezes mais que doadores soronegativos. As causas de morte no SIM podem estar mal classificadas para os doadores de sangue soropositivos assintomáticos / INTRODUCTION: Mortality rates for Chagas\' disease vary considerably between 0.2 and 19.2% annually depending mostly on the stage of the disease. Patients at the indeterminate phase are considered to have low rates, similar to the overall population. This study compares mortality rates and causes of death of blood donors seropositive for Chagas\' disease and seronegative for all screening tests at Fundação Pró-Sangue - Hemocentro de São Paulo (FPS). Blood donors constitute a particular population in which seropositive individuals are mostly asymptomatic. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of blood donors from 1996 to 2000: 2842 seropositive for Chagas disease and 5684 seronegative. Death status was ascertained by performing probabilistic record linkage (RL) with the national mortality information system (SIM). RL was validated in a preliminary study and sensitivity and specificity of the method were determined to be 94% (CI 95%, 90% - 97%) and 100% (CI 95%, 98% - 100%) respectively. Only SIM records for 2001 to 2009 were available for analysis. Univariate analysis was conducted considering outcomes and potential risks factors. Chi-square test or Fisher exact test were used as appropriate. The different survival of the two groups over time was graphically represented by the Kaplan-Meier curve and tested with the Logrank test. Multiple Cox regressions were used to derive Hazard ratios (HR) for the outcomes studied, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Reidentified 159 deaths among the 2842 seropositive blood donors (5.6%) and 103 deaths among the 5684 seronegative (1.8%). Serology of blood donors was associated with Chagas disease related death (HR 2.3 - 95% IC: 1.8 - 3.0). The survival curves differed when comparing seropositive and seronegative donors, young and old (p < 0.001). Out of the 159 deaths among seropositive donors, 26 were due to Chagas disease (ICD10 B57.0 - B57.5), 47 were due to other heart diseases (ICD10 - I10 to I80.2), with no mention of Chagas disease as an associated cause, and only 1 with Chagas disease mentioned in Part II of death certificate. CONCLUSIONS: Seropositive blood donors die at least 2.3 times more than seronegative donors. Causes of death in SIM may be misclassified for asymptomatic seropositive individuals

O Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) é uma doença prevalente e incapacitante, cujo atendimento no Brasil é insuficiente e concentrado em poucos centros de alta complexidade. A telemedicina possibilita assistência à saúde através do uso de tecnologias de comunicação entre dois ou mais profissionais, ou entre o profissional e o paciente, que estejam em locais distintos, permitindo aumento do acesso a tratamentos especializados, podendo ser útil na assistência do AVC agudo. Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar a viabilidade de uma rede de telemedicina para o AVC no Sistema Único de Saúde na região de Ribeirão Preto e desenvolver um sistema de telemedicina para o AVC. Para a análise da viabilidade, foram realizados o levantamento de indicadores demográficos e epidemiológicos da população de municípios que constituem o Departamento Regional de Saúde de Ribeirão Preto (DRS XIII) e uma análise técnica e econômica relacionada à estrutura necessária. O sistema de registro eletrônico e videoconferência foi desenvolvido por equipe multiprofissional, baseado em diretrizes nacionais para sistemas de informação em saúde e protocolos padronizados para o atendimento do AVC agudo. Concluiu-se que uma rede de telemedicina entre o Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto e os outros hospitais que possuem os pré-requisitos para cadastramento como Unidade de AVC no DRS XIII será estratégica para a expansão do atendimento qualificado do AVC na região, e sua viabilidade depende do cadastro destes serviços junto ao Ministério da Saúde, financiamento dos equipamentos e treinamento das equipes assistenciais. O sistema de telemedicina desenvolvido possibilitará o registro seguro dos atendimentos, a educação permanente das equipes e base de dados para pesquisas clínicas, contribuindo para a concretização desta e de outras redes de telemedicina brasileiras. / Stroke is a prevalent and disabling disease, whith insufficient treatment in Brazil, where is concentrated in a few high complexity centers. Telemedicine enables health care through communication technology between two or more professionals, or between the professionals and patients, in different locations, allowing increased access to specialized treatments, therefore useful in acute stroke treatment. This study objectives were to evaluate the feasibility of a public stroke telemedicine network at Ribeirão Preto region and to develop a stroke telemedicine eletronic system. For feasibility study, populational demographic and epidemiological indicators were compiled for the cities that constitute the Regional Health Department of Ribeirão Preto (DRS XIII) and a technical and economic analysis related to the necessary structure was performed. The electronical record and videoconference system was developed by a multiprofessional team, based on national guidelines for health information systems and standardized protocols for acute stroke care. A telemedicine network between the Hospital das Clínicas of Ribeirão Preto and the other hospitals that meet criteria for enrollment as Stroke Units in DRS XIII will be strategic for the expansion of regional qualified stroke care. Its viability depends on the registration of these services at the Health Ministry, equipment financing and assistance teams training. The developed telestroke system will enable the secure record of calls, the permanent education of the teams and a database for clinical research, contributing to the realization of this and other telemedicine networks.

Primary care physicians (PCPPs) have been slow to implement electronic health records (EHRs), even though there is a U.S. federal requirement to implement EHRs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine why PCPPs have been slow to adopt electronic health record (EHR) systems despite the potential to increase efficiency and quality of health care. The complex adaptive systems theory (CAS) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Twenty-six PCPPs were interviewed from primary care practices (PCPs) based in southwestern Ohio. The data were collected through a semistructured interview format and analyzed using a modified van Kaam method. Several themes emerged as barriers to EHR implementation, including staff training on the new EHR system, the decrease in productivity experienced by primary care practice (PCP) staff adapting to the new EHR system, and system usability and technical support after adoption. The findings may contribute to the body of knowledge regarding EHR system implementation and assist healthcare providers who are slow to adopt EHRs. Additionally, findings could contribute to social change by reducing healthcare costs, increasing patient access to care, and improving the efficacy of patient diagnosis and treatment.

Currently, C Hospital lacks a standardized nursing informatics competency program to validate nurses' skills and knowledge in using electronic medical records (EMRs). At the study locale, the organization is about to embark on the implementation of a new, more comprehensive EMR system. All departments will be required to use the new EMR, unlike the current policy that allows some areas to still document on paper. The Institute of Medicine, National League of Nursing, and American Association of Colleges of Nursing support and recommend that information technology be an essential core competency for nurses. Evidence of the need for nursing informatic competencies was found through a literature search using CINHAL, Proquest Nursing, Medline, and Pubmed search lines. Concepts searched were competencies, nursing informatics, health information technology, electronic health record, information technology literacy, nursing education, information technology training, and curriculum. The Staggers Nursing Computer Experience Questionnaire was distributed to 300 nurses practicing within the hospital setting to obtain baseline data on current nursing computer knowledge and skill level. This validated tool was created by Nancy Staggers in 1994 and used in other process improvement efforts similar to this one. The assumption was that nursing competency levels with computers were varied through the hospital. The data obtained from the questionnaire, through Zoho Survey tool, confirmed this assumption and were used to help create the education, support, and competency plan for the future. Data was analyzed through the built-in reports and interactive charts that the Zoho survey tool provides. The new EMR and all the new processes that come with it will be the framework of nursing care. Having competent nurses in the use of the EMR will optimize the quality of patient care delivered.