Perinatal nurses' experience using electronic health records during labour and delivery
| dc.contributor.author | Buxton, Leslie | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Petrovskaya, Olga | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Caine, Vera | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-14T22:14:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-14T22:14:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.degree.department | School of Nursing | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Nursing MN | |
| dc.description.abstract | Since the widespread implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) across Canada in the early 2000s, a substantial body of research has explored their impact on patient care and organizational outcomes. However, limited attention has been given to the experiences of perinatal nurses, particularly those providing care during the critical phase of labour and delivery. This represents a significant gap in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine the experiences and challenges faced by perinatal nurses when documenting care for labouring patients using EHR systems. A descriptive qualitative methodology was employed. Eleven perinatal nurses from a large Western Canadian Women’s Hospital were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews, and the data were analyzed thematically. Davina Allen’s Translational Mobilization Theory informed the study. Three key themes emerged: 1) the impact of the location of EHR in the physical space, 2) system design impacts EHR utilization, and 3) HER embodies increased regulatory professional obligations. Findings indicate that EHR documentation has significantly influenced nursing practice during labour by shifting nurses' focus from continuous bedside support to increased time spent on digital charting, thereby affecting the quality and consistency of patient-centered care. Nurses continually navigate the competing demands of documentation and direct patient care, often having to prioritize one over the other in real time to meet institutional and professional expectations. The implications to nursing highlight the importance of continual feedback from bedside staff to contribute to optimization of the EHR. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22592 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.subject | Electronic health records | |
| dc.subject | Nursing | |
| dc.subject | Perinatal | |
| dc.subject | Qualitative | |
| dc.subject | Canada | |
| dc.subject | Labour and delivery | |
| dc.subject | Experience | |
| dc.title | Perinatal nurses' experience using electronic health records during labour and delivery | |
| dc.type | Thesis |