Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of electronic health records among nurses: Application of Technology Acceptance Model.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly being implemented in healthcare organizations but little attention has been paid to the degree to which nurses as end-users will accept these systems and subsequently use them.

OBJECTIVES: To explore nurses' perceptions of usefulness and ease-of-use of EHRs. The relationship between these constructs was examined, and its predictors were studied.

METHOD: A national exploratory study was conducted with 1539 nurses from 15 randomly selected hospitals, representative of different regions and healthcare sectors in Jordan. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which was based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Correlations and linear multiple regression were utilized to analyze the data.

RESULTS: Jordanian nurses demonstrated a positive perception of the usefulness and ease-of-use of EHRs, and subsequently accepted the technology. Significant positive correlations were found between these two constructs. The variables that predict usefulness were the gender, professional rank, EHR experience, and computer skills of the nurses. The perceived ease-of-use was affected by nursing and EHR experience, and computers skills.

CONCLUSION: This study adds to the growing body of knowledge on issues related to the acceptance of technology in the health informatics field, focusing on nurses' acceptance of EHRs.