Going Live

Abstract

This study evaluated the immediate effects of implementing an electronic health record (EHR) system on physician workflow in the emergency department. Two sets of observations were conducted in one emergency department. The first set of observations, the baseline period, was completed in the 22 days prior to the implementation of a new EHR. The second set of observations, the go-live period, was completed during the seven-day period immediately after the EHR go-live date. A comparison across four task-based categories revealed that during the go-live period there was a decrease in the proportion of time physicians spent in patient rooms and engaged with paper-based tasks, and an increase in the proportion of time physicians spent at computer stations and working with other people. In addition, physicians engaged in more information seeking behaviors during the go-live period than during the baseline period. The impact of these shifts in tasks and behaviors is discussed with a focus on the importance of fully understanding the EHR go-live process.