Evaluation of OLD@HOME Virtual Health Record Staff Opinions of the System and Satisfaction with Work

The aim of the present research was to study outcomes of use of the OLD@HOME Virtual Health Record with regard to staff opinions about information, communication technology, and satisfaction with work. A quasi-experimental design was used. Staff opinions about the information and communication technology were assessed using a study-specific questionnaire at the test site (n = 22) and at other settings in the municipality (n = 172). Staff (n = 22) job satisfaction, perceived quality of care, and psychosomatic health were assessed using the Satisfaction with Work Questionnaires before and after a 5-month period of testing the technology in an intervention and a comparison group. Staff opinions about the information and communication technology were significantly more positive at the test site compared to other settings in the municipality. For the total scale of quality of care and the factor documentation, there were significant differences in change scores between intervention and comparison groups, with improvements for the comparison group. For job satisfaction and psychosomatic health, there were no differences in change scores between the groups. Participatory design enhances staff opinions about information and communication technology. However, a 5-month test period showed no benefits regarding staff satisfaction with work when compared to a comparison group. On the contrary, the comparison group improved in documentation, and for the intervention group, there was a trend toward deterioration, which may be due to their knowing how to document, but not having time when using both paper-based and electronic systems.