EHR Usability Challenges: 9 Proven Strategies To Improve Clinical Efficiency

Electronic Health Records are the future of smooth healthcare, of perfect coordination and minimized errors, and the ability to access all patient information easily. Although EHRs cannot be ignored, many clinicians have to face a daily struggle with the bulky interface and complex workflow. 

These ongoing EHR usability issues are not simply annoying; there are a few frustrations: They contribute directly to physician burnout, wasted clinical time, and a growing documentation burden.

The efficiency and well-being of clinicians are the key factors to successful optimization of clinical workflow. In this blog, you’ll know the typical EHR usability issues and offer 9 effective strategies that could help you turn your EHR into a source of tension to a performance booster.

The Hidden Price of Low EHR Usability

The main problem is the disconnect in design; most EHR systems are developed with a greater emphasis on billing and regulation compliance than on the realities of the clinical environment. It has resulted in a high prevalence of frustration related to EHR interface problems and a bad user experience.

There are common EHR Usability Problems.

Alert Fatigue – The overabundance of low-priority, low or no alertness notifications by the system that results in clinicians disregarding important warnings.

Information Overload – Overcrowded screens that contain poorly arranged data, and it hard to locate vital information about a patient within a short time.

Non-Intuitive Workflow – The navigation of the system makes the user go through many pages and unnecessary clicks in order to perform simple tasks that directly interfere with the efficiency of the clinical process.

Repetitive Data Entry – Absence of intelligent templates or auto-population tools that would enable a clinician to use the same data over and over again.

Interoperability Gaps – The inability to easily transfer data across systems (e.g., lab, radiology, and the main EHR) results in the creation of data silos and manual workarounds.

9 Strategies To Increase Clinical Efficiency

1. Re-design Clinical Workflow Templates

Most of the EHR documentation burden is associated with insufficiently designed note templates. Redesign your templates to capture high-volume visits that are specialty-specific.

Intervention – Design smarter, dynamic templates that would only show fields that are pertinent in the given patient encounter, such as a template that is used to follow up with hypertension regularly should not appear the same as a template that is used to create a new patient’s physical.

Objective – Minimize the number of useless clicks and information overload.

2. Implement and Streamline Speech Recognition and AI

Use advanced technology to help capture clinical narratives in a fast and efficient way.

Action – Incorporate voice recognition or ambient clinical intelligence applications that transcend spoken patient-provider dialogues into structured clinical notes.

Goal – Liberate the keyboards to allow clinicians to spend more time with the patient, and less time on the screen, and enhance the perceived and actual EHR usability of the system.

3. Normalize Data Entry and Terminology

Errors are caused by inconsistent input of data, which prevents information retrieval.

Action – Standardized drop-down lists, controlled vocabulary, and definite formatting rules of common entries, such as drug frequencies, diagnoses.

Purpose – Clean, search, and consistency of data in all departments corrects a major aspect of EHR interface problems.

4. Customization, Personalization of Dashboards

A one-size-fits-all strategy ensures low EHR usability. Relevant information to the role and specialty of clinicians should be displayed when they log in.

Action – Enable the users to customize their main dashboard to emphasize essential alerts, future tasks, and other important patient information, as a surgeon requires a different view than a primary care physician.

Purpose – Reduce the incidence of “screen-hopping” and raise data retrieval speed.

Related: Customizable EHR Templates to Improve Your Practice Workflow

5. De-Clutter the EHR Interface

Reduction of information on-screen is a quick-fix solution to information overload.

Action – A way to eliminate the unused buttons, obscure navigation paths, and non-essential displays is to do a usability study to highlight what is not used. Employ a user-friendly and minimalistic design to address serious EHR interface problems.

Purpose – To make the visual presentation cleaner and easier to navigate, and focus the user’s attention on the most important data.

6. Engage End-Users in EHR Workflow Redesign

Optimization of clinical workflow is impossible where IT does not exist. The professionals who test the system in day-to-day life are the ones who know which parts are wrong.

Action – The Clinical Informatics team or “Super User” group should be established to regularly obtain feedback, map the existing workflows, test new settings, and roll them out.

Objective – See to it that the update of the system is coordinated with the clinical processes in the real world and address the real usability issues with EHR.

7. Automate Routine Tasks

Determine high-volume, repeating tasks and locate features of the system that can be used to automate them.

Action – Configure the EHR to automatically fill in patient history during regular visits, automatically filter non-urgent messages in the triage section to the MAs or nurses, and employ smart order sets.

Objective – To decrease the EHR documentation load and save a substantial amount of physician time.

8. Offer Continuous Training, Role-Based

The significant factor that increases the apparent EHR ineffectiveness is the lack of proficiency.

Action – No longer action training in implementation. Conduct brief and intensive training sessions on new features, efficiency hints (keyboard shortcuts), and workflows specific to the role, like nurses and physicians go through separate training.

Intention – Increase the user confidence and make everybody exploit the full potential of the system in clinical efficiency.

9. Optimize Alert and Notification Systems

Reduce combat alert burnout by placing clinical warnings in a prioritized order, according to severity and context.

Action – Block, silence, or delete non-clinically critical alerts. Introduction of best practice advisories should only be done at the action stage of the clinical workflow.

Purpose – To maximize signal-to-noise ratio, and therefore, clinicians should attend to actual patient safety warnings that are also very crucial.

Vozo Cloud EHR for Healthcare Practices

If you are searching for the best EHR system for your healthcare practice, Vozo EHR can be your go-to choice.

Our comprehensive EHR solution lets you focus more on patient care while carrying all the burdens and simplifying it.

• Vozo Cloud EHR’s cost-effective cloud subscription benefits all levels of practice.
• Our feature-rich EHR helps you rectify mistakes efficiently and speed up the process.
• Vozo Specialty EHR resonates with specialty practice needs and requirements.
• Our expert technical team got you covered 24/7 if any needs arise.
• Our EHR System continues to scale as your healthcare practice grows to improve the user experience.

The Vozo Customized EHR solution benefits your healthcare practice by 

• Streamlining the administrative process
• Improving workflow efficiency
• Reducing proneness to errors
• Manages all the patients’ records in one place
• Offers greater efficiency and cost savings across the board.

Our specialty-specific tools, like scheduling, patient portals, lab integration, cloud hosting, and more, meet the specific needs and requirements of your healthcare practice.

“Embrace Vozo EHR to Reduce Your Burdens and Enhance Patient Care”