Nursing EHR: features, integrations & adoption guide
February 22, 2023
Nursing EHR market stats
of citizens aged 65+ will need long-term care at some point
Zippia, 2022
of nursing facilities reported using an EHR
JAMDA, 2020
of nurses report high levels of EHR satisfaction
KLAS, 2019
Main features of nursing EHR
The feature set of EHR software for nursing care facilities slightly differs from that of general practitioners because most patients have chronic conditions that have to be monitored by medical personnel over long periods.
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Documentation management
- Complete patient profiling
- Vital signs documentation
- eForm library
- Printable templates
- Point of care notes and medical records
- Nursing documentation
Clinical management
- Comprehensive clinical dashboards
- Patient condition analytics and reporting
- Treatment effectiveness and risk assessment
Medication management
- Point of care medication administration record
- Order management
- Adverse reactions logging and alerts
- Possible drug interaction alerts
- e-Prescriptions
Care coordination
- Task trackers and reminders
- Progress notes sharing and interdepartmental communication
- Unified terminology database
Security
- Multi-factor authorization
- Data encryption
- Distributed access control
- Regulatory compliance
- Backup reminders
Care digitalization
- Voice recognition
- Chatbots and voice assistants
- Point of access for patients
- RPM device integration
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Nursing EHR integrations
Lab management software
Reduce test waiting time, avoid man-made errors, and make more accurate diagnostic and clinical decisions with the data flow between a laboratory information system and EHR.
Financial and insurance solutions
Ensure the security and transparency of financial relationships with patients by enabling only authorized healthcare professionals and patients themselves to view and manage their insurance details or care plan payments.
How to choose nursing EHR software
Our experts recommend considering the following aspects when choosing EHR software for nurses.
Deployment model
Deployment model
On-premise systems are more customizable and secure and work well in areas with poor internet connection. They, however, cannot be accessed from outside the facility, are trickier to back up, and not as interoperable as cloud-based solutions. The latter are more flexible, can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and their maintenance and backups are the vendor's responsibility. Their drawbacks include obligatory good internet connection and the introduction of strict data government policy at the facility.
Security and compliance
Security and compliance
In order to receive the Meaningful Use reimbursement and protect patient data, opt for systems that are developed according to privacy and security regulations, standards, and protocols for health information technology: HIPAA, GDPR, OWASP, FHIR, FDA, etc.
Features and integrations
Features and integrations
Make sure the EHR or EMR of your choice covers your organization’s requirements. For this, consult with clinicians and nurse practitioners to learn their EHR expectations and needs. Yet, do not pick “the more the better” approach, as an overly feature-rich system will cost you a lot more and pose a greater risk of burnout to the staff.
Flexibility and scalability
Flexibility and scalability
The amount of patient data grows exponentially every year, new technologies are being developed and adopted in health IT, and government regulations are updated accordingly. Check with your vendor to make sure they regularly update and expand their EHR system.
Reliability
Reliability
Major workflow disruptions due to system downtime and the disappearance of patient information remain one of the top concerns for nurses. Make sure that your EHR solution has backup options, is sufficiently supported by the vendor, and its capabilities fit your recovery time objective.
Nursing EHR implementation roadmap
Our experienced team takes on EHR implementation projects of any complexity, offering consultation, development, data migration, system modernization, and support services.
1
Discovery
We work closely with nursing staff and management to discover EHR requirements and define its tech stack.
2
Development
We map out the project, set its timeline, and develop a solution compliant with industry standards and privacy regulations.
We integrate the EHR with your other healthcare software or third-party applications.
We conduct quality assurance and test runs throughout the development process.
3
Deployment
We integrate the nursing EHR into the facility’s IT ecosystem and migrate relevant data.
4
Post-deployment
We provide software performance monitoring, improvements, updates, and different levels of support during the use of EHR.
Top nursing EHR solutions
MatrixCare solutions showed an 88.3% satisfaction rate among users, according to the 2021 KLAS Performance Report. The company offers a variety of solutions for all types of care organizations: nursing homes, hospices, hospitals, and home care professionals.
Charting is done electronically as care is given, so staff can spend more time with patients providing the care they need and deserve [thanks to the MaxtrixCare solution].
MEDITECH was highly rated in research conducted by KLAS among small-sized practices. Its Expanse Patient Care module can save nurses up to 100 hours of clinical time, improve their efficiency, and enable more cohesive and consistent workflows throughout the organization.
MEDITECH has been our trusted partner since 1995. They continue to find ways to optimize our systems for us to provide the absolute best health care for our patients.
WellSky serves more than 20,000 client sites across the US and internationally. The company develops solutions for home and post-acute providers, hospitals and health systems, community-based organizations, state programs, and private clients. KLAS Research reported that it received a top usability satisfaction score from small to midsize organizations.
WellSky is a partner, not just a software company. They are more than willing to listen to our ideas and come up with a solution that not only benefits us, a hospital, but the industry as a whole.
One of the largest and most popular EHR providers has a variety of modules for nursing environments: EpicCare Home Health (also known as Dorothy) for nurses, nurse aides, PT, OT, and other personnel who visit patients at home. There is also EpicCare ClinDoc (Inpatient), aimed at hospital staff for clinical notes, orders, medication administration, patient monitoring, and discharge orders. Other notable modules are Epic Prelude, which is best for taking admission, discharge, transfer notes; and ASAP ER, most suitable for ER unit personnel.
The Microsoft platform configured specifically for the healthcare industry serves as a powerful base for creating highly specialized yet user-friendly and interoperable nursing EHR solutions. By implementing the MS Cloud-based solution, medical organizations can facilitate nursing team collaboration, enhance care quality, and protect their patients’ data from breaches and cyberattacks.
There’s rarely a one-size-fits-all software solution in healthcare. It is particularly true for nursing EHRs, as nurses perform various tasks depending on the facility, the department, or the situation. Those care organizations that want to provide the most relevant features and best user experience to nursing staff should opt for a custom-made system created by experienced EHR developers in close cooperation with its target users.
The registered nurse must also be involved in the product selection, design, development, implementation, evaluation and improvement of information systems and electronic patient care devices used in patient care settings.
Benefits of EHR in nursing practice
While valuable to nurses in the first place, EHR also brings advantages to care providers, patients, and long-term care organizations.
Chart title: Positive changes in nursing teams after EHR implementation
Data source: ScienceDirect
Increased efficiency
Most nursing homes and hospitals have seen the impact of electronic health records starting with increased efficiency. Nurses can spend less time on sifting through documentation during their shifts and have more time and energy left for patient-related tasks and training. Additionally, as EHRs facilitate information exchange, their adoption can improve care coordination between departments.
Improved quality of care
Electronic health records provide nursing home staff with timely and accurate patient information, which allows for more accurate decision making and personalized care delivery. Document management automation also enables nurses to spend more time tending to patients’ needs, while EHRs’ analytical capabilities help predict possible condition changes and make more data-based clinical decisions.
Resource optimization
EHR implementation in nursing homes and long-term care facilities helps identify and eliminate inefficient procedures for patients, like excessive lab tests or medical imaging, and better distribute facilities’ spaces, like grouping beds according to patients’ conditions.
Reduced errors
Medical errors can have devastating repercussions for post-acute care facilities: damaged reputation, thousands of dollars in lawsuit losses, or even a revoked license. According to two nationwide studies, 37% of nurses believe that EHRs help to prevent medication errors. Additionally, this type of nursing home software eliminates duplicates in documentation and enhances the accuracy of input information.
Drawbacks of nursing EHR and how to overcome them
Despite the proven benefits of electronic health records, some nurses are still reluctant to use them. Let’s take a look at the most significant challenges of EHR implementation and how to solve them.
Challenge
Possible solution
User burnout due to cognitive overload
Nurses reported significantly reduced burnout levels after optimizing the data entry interface. Therefore, the EHR system should be tuned to the specific healthcare environment to avoid overburdening nurses with information they don’t need.
Gaps in care during system downtime
Any medical organization reliant on EHRs and other healthcare software needs an actionable emergency strategy in case of system downtime (e.g., during a blackout or lost internet connection). It may include backups, remote access from mobile devices, and sufficient personnel emergency training.
Lack of required functionality
Nurses’ opinions should be taken into account during the earliest stages of EHR adoption. It’s essential to implement the system functionally most aligned with the facility’s operations. Most EHRs for nurses can be further tuned and modified to more specific requirements by experienced developers.
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Empower nurses with EHR software
More than 90% of nurses reported burnout after the COVID pandemic, which led to nationwide nursing personnel shortages. Still, healthcare organizations of all specialties and sizes cannot afford to lose their nurses due to overload with administrative tasks, stress over incoherent patient information, and frustration with unoptimized workflows. Our team is ready to help hospitals and long-term care facilities implement EHR solutions to boost their nurses’ productivity and well-being through the automation of routine document management tasks, patient management facilitation, and data-sharing across organizations. Whether you need help to choose and implement a new system, modernize legacy software, or migrate patient data from one system to another – don’t hesitate to contact us.
Ready to boost your nursing home’s efficiency via specialized EHR?
Nursing EHR FAQ
We gathered questions most healthcare providers ask at the beginning of their EHR implementation journey.
Why do we need different EHR for doctors and nurses?
As physicians and nurses perform different procedures on patients, they handle different information. Using the same EHR system can lead to informational overload, so doctors and nurses need different systems to view and manage only information relevant to their patient-related tasks.
What is the cost of nursing EHR?
The cost of any EHR system depends on its features, the number of integrations, mode of deployment, and other factors, so the price range for nursing EHR is quite wide. It’s advisable to get a quote based on your particular requirements.
Why is it difficult for nurses to use EHR?
Nurses can struggle with EHR usage if they haven’t had the appropriate training, if the EHR’s interface and capabilities are unsuitable for the nursing environment, or if they are overwhelmed with other tasks.
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