Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 10;23(1):14.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03925-3.

Technology and clinician-learner interaction: how clinicians expect introduction of a new electronic health record to affect educational practice

Julianna Caon  1 , Kevin W Eva  2
Affiliations

Technology and clinician-learner interaction: how clinicians expect introduction of a new electronic health record to affect educational practice

Julianna Caon et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Introduction: Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly common platforms used in medical settings to capture and store patient information, but their implementation can have unintended consequences. One particular risk is damaging clinician-learner-interactions, but very little has been published about how EHR implementation affects educational practice. Given the importance of stakeholder engagement in change management, this research sought to explore how EHR implementation is anticipated to affect clinician-learner interactions, educational priorities and outcomes.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a group of practicing oncologists who work in outpatient clinics while also providing education to medical student and resident trainees. Data regarding perceived impact on the teaching dynamic between clinicians and learners were collected prior to implementation of an EHR and analyzed thematically.

Results: Physician educators expected EHR implementation to negatively influence their engagement in teaching and the learning they themselves normally gain through teaching interactions. Additionally, EHR implementation was expected to influence learners by changing what is taught and the students' role in clinical care and the educational dynamic. Potential benefits included harnessing learners' technological aptitude, modeling adaptive behaviour, and creating new ways for students to be involved in patient care.

Conclusion: Anticipating the concerns clinicians have about EHR implementation offers both potential to manage change to minimize disruptions caused by implementation and a foundation from which to assess actual educational impacts.

Keywords: Clinical teaching; Electronic health records; Medical education.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No financial or non-financial competing interests to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The anticipated impact of EHR implementation on teacher
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The anticipated impact of EHR implementation on learners
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Häyrinen K, Saranto K, Nykänen P. Definition, structure, content, use and impacts of electronic health records: a review of the research literature. Int J Med Inform. 2008;77(5):291–304. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2007.09.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hsiao CJ, Hing E, Ashman J. Trends in electronic health record system use among office-based physicians: United States, 2007–2012. Natl Health Stat Report. 2014;(75):1–18. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr075.pdf. - PubMed
    1. Chaudhry B, Wang J, Wu S, et al. Systematic review: impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care. Ann Intern Med. 2006;144(10):742–52. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-144-10-200605160-00125. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vigil PT. Regis University Student Publications. 2010. "Electronic Medical Records: A Systematic Review of Published Reports on the Effect of Implementation in Primary Care/Office-Based Settings"; p. 796.
    1. Ashley P, Rhodes N, Sari-Kouzel H, Mukherjee A, Dornan T. ‘They’ve all got to learn’. Medical students’ learning from patients in ambulatory (outpatient and general practice) consultations. Med Teach. 2009;31:e24–31. doi: 10.1080/01421590802464445. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources