Comparison of Manual and Electronic Methods of Nursing Record: A Nurse's Perspective

Abstract

Recording nursing reports is considered as a quality assurance tool for patients and nurses. Nowadays, the presence of electronic health record systems is an indicator of development. Studies on advantages and disadvantages of the electronic and manual recording methods have shown different results. In this study, electronic and manual recording of nursing reports were compared from the perspective of nurses. Methods and Materials This descriptive-comparative study included all nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) of two health care centers equipped and non-equipped with electronic nursing records. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to evaluate and compare the viewpoints of nurses from four dimensions of accuracy and quality, time, health care information exchange, and control and management of nursing reports, after determining its validity and reliability. The data were analyzed with SPSS software version 16. Results Comparison of the survey's subscales showed a significant relationship between the two subscales of time and control and management of nursing reports between the two centers(P<0.05). Nurses working in the center with manual system spent more time for writing nursing activities and there was a better control in the electronic system than the manual system. Conclusion According to the results, despite many positive aspects, the electronic recording systems have still some defects which resolution is a responsibility of the designers of these systems. To this end, feedbacks of nurses as the users of these systems can be used to tailor them with nursing needs and activities, to improve their performance, and to increase care quality.