Research Article Open Access Cinaroglu, J Health Med Informat 2015, 6:4 DOI: 10.4172/2157-7420.1000201 Volume 6 • Issue 4 • 1000201 J Health Med Inform ISSN: 2157-7420 JHMI, an open access journal Keywords: Electronic health records; Medical and surgical nurses; Adaptation to technology Introduction Decision making in healthcare is a complex area [1]. Electronic health records can be a useful tool for dealing with this complexity, reducing medical errors and improving patients’ outcomes [2]. An electronic health record refers to the systematized collection of patient electronically-stored health information in a digital format [3] this is a way of health information management. With health information management technologies, it is possible to improve quality of patient care and health services [4]. Electronic health records help healthcare professionals to see uncertainties and risks in health care and make possible to solve complex problems. Tese records reduce medical errors, makes improvements in health outcomes, health services delivery and patient follow up processes [5]. Te development level of health information systems and electronic health records is diferent between developing and developed countries. Developing countries like Turkey continuing on making investments on health information systems and electronic health records [6].Turkish health care sector experiencing Health Transformation Program since 2003 [7]. With Health Transformation Program Turkish citizens living changes in health policy, planning and health technology management. In Turkey hospitals improving service quality by using electronic health records and new technologies in a large spectrum of health information systems [8]. Electronic health records are a way of adoption of health information systems and consist of wide range of information technologies. Tese records have basic and complex informations [2]. A basic system includes information about socio-demographic characteristics of patients. A complex system includes information about medication lists, clinical notes, prescription printing, and laboratory and radiology results. Complex systems are also an important supporting system for health care professionals [9]. Adaptation of electronic health records and health information technologies by health care professionals is still questioning [10]. Physicians are at the center of clinical decision making process because of that understanding physicians’ attitudes towards electronic health records is important [11]. According to Beasley et al. physicians feel stress and anxiety towards electronic health records. Tese have a potential to infuence physicians performance and treat patients safety [12]. Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for dealing with this adaptation problem of health information technologies and electronic health records [13,14]. Nurses are prominent collaborators of physicians in clinical decision making processes. Efective collaboration between nurses and physicians can improve health outcomes; reduce mortality and morbidity rates [15]. Like physicians nurses also resists to computerization and they see health information systems dehumanizing [16]. Specialties of nurses also infuence the adaptation of health information systems by them. Traditionally medical nurses are more patient focus than surgical nurses because of that patients who have humanitarian nature have more close relationships with medical nurses than surgical nurses [17,18]. As a result of the main diferences between diferent specialties the perception of electronic health records is diferent between nurses [19]. Both medical and surgical nurses are using information technologies in care processes and their usage of information technologies infuenced by their socio-demographic characteristics like gender, nationality, education level and duration of computer usage. Studies show that *Corresponding author: Songul Cinaroglu, Hacettepe University, FEAS Department of Health Care Management, Beytepe Ankara, Turkey, Tel: +903124832902; E-mail: cinaroglus@hotmail.com Received May 28, 2015; Accepted August 10, 2015; Published August 17, 2015 Citation: Cinaroglu S, AVCI K (2015) Comparison of Medical and Surgical Nurses Attitudes toward Usage of Electronic Health Records. J Health Med Informat 6: 201. doi:10.4172/2157-7420.1000201 Copyright: © 2015 Cinaroglu S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: Health care is an organizational feld that information and technology improves quickly. With ensuring health professionals adaptation to this new information and technology environment, it is possible to achieve quality and productivity improvement goal in health care. It is known that different clinical expertises bring differences in presentation of health services. Aim: In this study it was aimed to compare nurses’ assessments about electronic health records usage. Materials and methods: Data analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and independent sample student-t test. Results: At the end of the analysis it was found that nurses’ assessments about electronic health records usage has a meaningful difference according to different clinical expertise (t=2.40, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Results of this study shows that surgical nurses’ who are forefront with “technical abilities” have more positive assessments about usage of electronic health records when they compared with medical nurses who are forefront with “patient centered” abilities. Comparison of Medical and Surgical Nurses Attitudes toward Usage of Electronic Health Records Songul Cinaroglu 1 * and Keziban AVCI 2 1 Hacettepe University, FEAS Department of Health Care Management, Beytepe Ankara, Turkey 2 Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Hospital, Atatürk Bulvarı Kızılay, Sokak No:4 Sıhhiye – Ankara-Turkey Journal of Health & Medical Informatics J o u r n a l o f H e a lt h & M e d i c a l I n f o r m a t i c s ISSN: 2157-7420