Perioperative Nurses' Experiences and Perceptions After the Implementation of an Electronic Medical Record System: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

To explore perioperative nurses' experiences and perceptions after the implementation of an Electronic Medical Record system in the operating suite at a large metropolitan tertiary teaching hospital. An exploratory qualitative study. Five face-to-face semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 20 registered perioperative nurses employed at a major metropolitan health service in Victoria, Australia. Data were collected between January and February 2024. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2022) framework for thematic analysis. Four key themes were identified: (1) Adapting to Electronic Medical Records, (2) User experience, (3) Design of the Electronic Medical Records, and (4) Delivery of patient care. The implementation of an Electronic Medical Record system in the operating suite elicited a mix of positive and negative responses from the participants. The results emphasize a comprehensive patient data collection system that could be further optimized to enhance efficiencies in specialized environments like the operating suite.