Assessment of Current Evidence on the Impact of Electronic Health Record Transitions on the Patient Experience

Patient experience includes a wide range of interactions patients have with their health care system and its health information technology (HIT) including any patient portal associated with a health care system’s electronic health record (EHR). This paper describes currently available evidence to understand the impact of EHR-to-EHR transitions on the patient experience. The literature review revealed three key areas of impact: (1) access to care, (2) usability of the new patient portal, and (3) perceptions of a transition’s impact on quality of care. Careful planning and coordination can help streamline some of the effect on patient experience. The proliferation of EHR-to-EHR transitions makes understanding the impact on patient experience an important area of investigation. The lack of available literature on EHR transitions shows there is ample opportunity for further study.