Abstract
Contemporary state-of-the-art healthcare facilities are incorporating technology into their building design to improve communication and patient care. However, technological innovations may also have unintended consequences. This study seeks to better understand how technology influences interprofessional communication within a hospital setting based in the United States. Nine focus groups were conducted including a range of healthcare professions. The focus groups explored practitioners’ experiences working on two floors of a newly designed hospital and included questions about the ways in which technology shaped communication with other healthcare professionals. All focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify themes. Participant responses focused on the electronic medical record, and while some benefits of the electronic medical record were discussed, participants indicated use of the electronic medical record has resulted in a reduction of in-person communication. Different charting approaches resulted in barriers to communication between specialties and reduced confidence that other practitioners had received one’s notes. Limitations in technology—including limited computer availability, documentation complexity, and sluggish sign-in processes—also were identified as barriers to effective and timely communication between practitioners. Given the ways in which technology shapes interprofessional communication, future research should explore how to create standardised electronic medical record use across professions at the optimal level to support communication and patient care.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2-2017
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2016.1269312
Repository Citation
Bardach, Shoshana H.; Real, Kevin; and Bardach, David R., "Perspectives of Healthcare Practitioners: An Exploration of Interprofessional Communication Using Electronic Medical Records" (2017). Graduate Center for Gerontology Faculty Publications. 4.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gerontol_facpub/4
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Health Communication Commons, Interprofessional Education Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Journal of Interprofessional Care, v. 31, issue 3, p. 300-306.
© 2017 Taylor & Francis
The copyright holder has granted the permission for posting the article here.
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Interprofessional Care on 02 Feb 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13561820.2016.1269312.