Patient’s perceived technology use workload on overall satisfaction in new cancer patient visits

Abstract

Health information technology became an integral part of the healthcare system as well as is being used during healthcare visits extensively. This study focusses on the patient’s perceived workload of using an electronic healthcare record (EHR) system during the first visit after being newly diagnosed with cancer. We investigate what aspects contribute to the perceived workload due to technology use, using the NASA-TLX TECH score which we have adopted and developed for this research. We also explore the relationship between this perceived workload and patient satisfaction with the overall visit. This study uses a survey to collect data of 72 patients on their perception of perceived workload and satisfaction during the first visit. For analysis of the data, we used descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression. The results of the study indicate that the average NASA-TLX TECH score of the patients is relatively low. Another finding shows that there is a significant negative relationship between perceived workload and patient satisfaction, indicating that although the perceived workload is relatively low, an increase in workload due to technology use is undesirable. This study is the first to provide insight into the perceived workload of patients due to technology use and contributes to how use of EHR systems during visits can be improved to reduce the burden on patients and develop trustworthy doctor-patient relationships.