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. 2019 Aug;20(8):995-1000.e4.
doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2018.11.002. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Adoption of Health Information Technology Among US Nursing Facilities

Joshua R Vest  1 , Hye-Young Jung  2 , Kevin Wiley Jr  3 , Harold Kooreman  3 , Lorren Pettit  4 , Mark A Unruh  2
Affiliations

Adoption of Health Information Technology Among US Nursing Facilities

Joshua R Vest et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: Nursing facilities have lagged behind in the adoption of interoperable health information technology (ie technologies that allow the sharing and use of electronic patient information between different information systems). The objective of this study was to estimate the nationwide prevalence of electronic health record (EHR) adoption among nursing facilities and to identify the factors associated with adoption.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting & participants: We surveyed members of the Society for Post-Acute & Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) about their organizations' health information technology usage and characteristics.

Measurements: Using questions adopted from existing instruments, the survey measured nursing home's EHR adoption, the ability to send, receive, search and integrate electronic information, as well as barriers to usage. Additionally, we linked survey responses to public use secondary data sources to construct measurements for 8 determinants known to be associated with organizational adoption: innovativeness, functional differentiation, role specialization, administrative intensity, professionalism, complexity, technical knowledge resources, and slack resources. A series of regression models estimated the association between potential determinants and technology adoption.

Results: 84% of nursing facilities reported using an EHR. After controlling for all other factors, respondents who characterized their organization as more innovative had more than 6 times the odds (adjusted odds ratio = 6.39, 95% confidence interval = 2.69, 15.21) of adopting an EHR. Organization innovativeness was also associated with an increased odds of being able to send, integrate, and search for electronic information. The most commonly identified barrier to sharing clinical information among nursing facilities with an EHR was a reported absence of interoperability (57%).

Conclusions/implications: An organizational culture that fosters innovation and awareness campaigns by professional societies may facilitate further adoption and effective use of technology. This will be increasingly important as policy makers continue to emphasize the use of EHRs and interoperability to improve the quality of care in nursing facilities.

Keywords: Long-term care; electronic health records; health information technology; nursing home.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Among nursing facilities with EHRs, the percent engaging in each of the core domains of interoperability and the distribution of facilities by the total number of domains.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage of nursing facilities reporting significant barriers to sharing clinical information with other health care providers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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