As good as it gets? Going online with a clinical information system.

This study analyzed nursing staff attitudes at three different time periods during and after implementation of a clinical information system (CIS). Nursing staff completed a 12-item questionnaire about their perceptions of a computer CIS after receiving training on the system, but before going "online." Participants then completed surveys after 1 month of use and again after 6 months of use of the system. There was a positive relationship between participants' perceptions of the CIS and the self-rating of their adaptability level (P < 0.013), their rating of the technical level of their unit (P < 0.012), and the number of years of experience in their job (P < 0.048). There was no relationship between nurses' perceptions of the CIS and their age or between nurses' perceptions and their personal computer experience. Although attitudes became less positive at each time interval, the attitude differences from preimplementation to 1 month later were not statistically significant, whereas the difference from 1 month to 6 months was statistically significant.