Implementation of an electronic nursing care plan in a training and research hospital: qualitative examination of nurses' experiences and opinions

Aims: The aim of this study was to qualitatively examine how the electronic nursing care plan system, which was recently implemented in a training and research hospital, was evaluated by nurses, the difficulties encountered during the integration process of the system and the solution suggestions for these difficulties. Methods: The study was conducted with a qualitative research design and was conducted with 16 nurses using the electronic nursing care plan in a 350-bed training and research hospital in Bandırma. Data were collected between December 2022 and February 2023 using a semi-structured interview form. Interviews were audio recorded and continued until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed using content analysis. Results: The findings of the study were categorized under three main themes: the benefits of electronic nursing care plans, problems experienced in their implementation, and suggestions for improvement. Nurses stated that electronic care plans provide safe and effective record management, time saving and efficiency, and improve the quality of patient care. However, they stated that they faced various difficulties such as technological and systemic problems (e.g., lack of nursing diagnoses, insufficient computers and slow system) and work process problems (e.g., lack of training and the need to print out care plans). Suggestions for improvement included increasing the number of nursing diagnoses and interventions in the system, increasing the number of computers, and providing periodic trainings. Conclusion: The results of this study show that electronic nursing care plans provide significant advantages in nursing practice, but there are some technological and systemic challenges and business process problems. Nurses made various suggestions for improvement in order to use these systems more effectively and efficiently. The study fills an important gap in the literature in this field by addressing the dynamics of electronic nursing care plans in the initial phase and the adaptation process of nurses. As a result, solving the problems experienced in the integration process of electronic nursing care plans will both improve the quality of patient care and reduce the workload of nurses. These findings have important implications for healthcare managers and policy makers in strategic planning and implementation processes.