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EHR Training - How Much? What is the Real Issue?

Recent survey results show that a doctor with at least 3 to 5 days of training is more satisfied with his or her EHR system.

For some this may make perfect sense, but I question if an EHR should really take a full 3-5 days to learn how to use.  Is the issue training or is the real issue the usability of the EHR?


In today’s world of technology, companies market their products to be user friendly and easy to understand.  For example, when Apple releases a new product, do you ever see Apple advertising that the user should attend a training course?  No, because society craves technology that has the ability to make our lives more simple and less complex. Implying that a product needs extensive training to better understand has the tendency to reduce the appeal of that product.

Training time is also expensive.  Most EHR vendors charge for training.  In addition time spent training is time away from billable activities.

I would argue that an EHR system should not take several days to learn; it should be designed with user ease in mind.   If the EHR is customized as much as possible to the user’s preferences and the basic design is intuitive, three to four hours of training, with a follow up training at the appropriate time, should be enough to enable the average provider to start seeing patients with the EHR.  Such usability should improve satisfaction and reduce costs.


-C. Price, Marketing Coordinator

 

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