Effectiveness of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Use by Nurses: A Literature Review
Abstract
Electronic Health Records (EHR) are progressively implemented in healthcare systems to enhance efficiency, documentation precision, and patient safety. The influence of EHR implementation on nursing practice varies across different environments. This literature analysis sought to assess the efficacy of electronic health record utilization by nurses in clinical documentation, drawing on primary research published from 2015 to 2025. A total of 12 publications were selected following a stringent screening procedure utilizing the SPIDER framework, including various study designs such as observational, longitudinal, and interventional methodologies. The results indicated that EHR improves documentation efficiency and access to clinical information when systems are optimally designed and supplemented with sufficient training. Poor usability and insufficient user engagement result in heightened burden, stress, and diminished quality of care. The successful deployment is intricately connected to system usability, managerial endorsement, and nurse participation in system development. The results underscore the necessity for user-centered design and ongoing organizational dedication to ensure that EHRs facilitate rather than obstruct nursing care.
References
Browning, L. et al. (2025) ‘The Impact of Electronic Medical Record Implementation on the Process and Outcomes of Nursing Handover: A Rapid Evidence Assessment’, Journal of Nursing Management, 2025(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/5585723.
Brunner, J. et al. (2025) ‘Nurse Experiences in an Electronic Health Record Transition’, Cin-computers Informatics Nursing [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/cin.0000000000001239.
Cachata, D. et al. (2024) ‘The Integration of Information Technology in the Management and Organization of Nursing Care in a Hospital Environment: A Scoping Review’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(8), p. 968. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21080968.
Cho, H. et al. (2024) ‘Electronic health record system use and documentation burden of acute and critical care nurse clinicians: a mixed-methods study.’, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocae239.
Cooper, A. (2017) ‘Review: Nurse acceptance of electronic health record technology: a literature review’, Journal of Research in Nursing, 20(7), pp. 608–609. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987115616236.
Danso, K. et al. (2024) ‘Implementing and Adopting EHR Systems in Developing Countries’. Available at: https://doi.org/10.69600/gjnmid.2024.v01.i04.30-62.
Douma, M.C. et al. (2024) ‘Impact of Implementing Electronic Nursing Records on Quality and Safety Indicators in Care’, Libyan Journal of Medicine, 19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2024.2421625.
Ginting, D.S., Dewi, W.N. and Lestari, W. (2024) ‘Nurses’ experiences using electronic medical record (EMR): A systematic review’, Malahayati international journal of nursing and health science [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.33024/minh.v7i8.625.
Hendy, Abdelaziz et al. (2025) ‘Understanding Nurses’ perspectives on electronic health records in Egypt: Insights from a cross-sectional study’, Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 80, pp. e255–e263. Available at: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2025.01.002.
Henry, J. et al. (2021) Adoption of electronic health record systems among U.S. non-federal acute care hospitals: 2008–2019. Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. Available at: https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/page/2021-02/ONC_DataBrief51_EHR_Adoption_2021.pdf.
Heponiemi, T. (2021) ‘Perceived stress and EHR implementation among nurses’.
van Houwelingen, T., Meeuse, A.C.M. and Kort, H. (2023) ‘Enabling Nurses’ Engagement in the Design of Healthcare Technology – Core Competencies and Requirements: A Qualitative Study’, International journal of nursing studies advances [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2023.100170.
Indonesia, K.K.R. (2023) ‘Penerapan Rekam Medis Elektronik di Rumah Sakit’. Available at: https://pusdatin.kemkes.go.id.
Kehi, L.D. et al. (2025) ‘Perancangan prototipe pendokumentasian keperawatan berbasis rekam medis elektronik di rumah sakit x dengan menggunakan teori perubahan Lewins’, Holistik, 18(10), pp. 1321–1330. Available at: https://doi.org/10.33024/hjk.v18i10.589.
Kemp, J. et al. (2024) ‘Initial Findings of a Mixed-Methods Study to Reduce Nursing Documentation-Related Burden’, Studies in health technology and informatics [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3233/shti240290.
Korkmaz, A.Ç. and Sayan, N.E. (2024) ‘Implementation of an electronic nursing care plan in a training and research hospital: qualitative examination of nurses’ experiences and opinions’, Journal of Nursing Care Research, 1(3), pp. 55–62. Available at: https://doi.org/10.51271/jncr-0011.
Latipah, T. (2022) ‘Efektivitas penerapan rekam medis elektronik terhadap pelayanan rawat jalan’.
Lopez, K.D. (2020) ‘Nurse workload and usability of EHRs’.
Mohess, K.-J. and Gomes, M. (2024) ‘Engagement strategies adopted by the nursing information officer team in preparing nurses for the implementation of an integrated electronic health record’, Nursing management [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7748/nm.2024.e2135.
Mulyani, S. (2024) ‘Analysis of the Impact of Electronic Health Record Use on the Effectiveness of Diagnostic and Treatment Processes’, The journal of academic science., 1(8), pp. 931–941. Available at: https://doi.org/10.59613/3r1hwy26.
Munn, Z. et al. (2018) ‘Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach’, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), p. 143. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x.
Peters, M.D.J. et al. (2015) The Joanna Briggs Institute reviewers’ manual 2015: Methodology for JBI scoping reviews. Joanna Briggs Institute.
Puspitaningrum, I., Supriatun, E. and Putri, S.D. (2023) ‘Dokumentasi Keperawatan Berbasis Elektronik Meningkatkan Keselamatan Pasien dan Mutu Asuhan Keperawatan’, Diagnosa, 1(3), pp. 255–267. Available at: https://doi.org/10.59581/diagnosa-widyakarya.v1i3.1115.
Silver, S. and Francis, A. (2022) ‘Data extraction tools in evidence synthesis: An evaluation of usability’, JBI Evidence Implementation, 20(3), pp. 145–152.
Taneva, D. et al. (2024) ‘Electronic Nursing Record - Importance for Nursing and Benefits of Implementing it in Health Information Systems’. Available at: https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1909.v1.
Wahyuningtyas, E.S. and Abd-Elrazek, M.N. (2024) ‘Nurses are never gone or forgotten: Breaking barriers to enhance nursing care with technology’, Journal of holistic nursing science [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31603/nursing.v11i2.12409.
Yen, P.Y., Wantland, D. and Bakken, S. (2021) ‘Development of a user-centered framework for electronic health record adoption and implementation’, Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 39(5), pp. 245–252. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000701.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fitra Pringgayuda, Faridah Hashim

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.