A case study of user assessment of a corrections electronic health record.

The federal government, through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, has moved vigorously to promote widespread and meaningful use of interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) by 2014. The Kentucky Department of Corrections implemented its EHR system in 2006 and in 2010 the department assessed user satisfaction and perception of usability based on criteria that reflect meaningful use. Fifty percent of 345 users responded to an online survey with satisfaction averaging 3.0 out of 4.0 on a 14-item scale and usability averaging 2.8 out of 4.0 for 13 items. The two measures correlated strongly and positively but varied significantly by type of position. This study provides a positive but cautionary case study of how users assess components of an EHR in a relatively stable and controlled organizational setting.