Clinician and Administrator Perspectives on Health Information Exchange: Qualitative Results from a National User Satisfaction Survey

We present results from a 2024 survey across the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs assessing: 1) employees’ satisfaction with a health information exchange (HIE) viewer; 2) end-users’ experiences, to inform design enhancements; and 3) comparisons to 2020 survey results. Of 9,900 invited employees, 598 (6%) responded, including nurses (35%), administrators (22%), providers (21%), social workers (6%), pharmacy professionals (4%), and others (12%). Findings show that HIE access is increasing employees’ perceived efficiency and productivity. Compared to 2020, new HIE customization options improved work and patient care. However, both surveys identified persistent needs to improve system speed, search capabilities, learnability, and ease of use. This first large-scale, longitudinal HIE survey with qualitative data on real-world use identifies employees’ underlying needs that are likely relevant to other HIE systems. Even modest HIE usability improvements could enhance patient care.