Identifying the Relationship between Nurse Well-Being and Electronic Health Record Satisfaction

Abstract

Background: Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have improved healthcare delivery but also introduced challenges, particularly for nurses, including increased workload and burnout. Nurse well-being is essential for quality patient care, and satisfaction with EHR systems plays a key role. Factors such as age, experience, and work environment may influence this relationship. Understanding how EHR satisfaction affects nurse well-being is crucial for improving system design and supporting healthcare staff.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between EHR satisfaction and the well-being of nurses, and to identify demographic and professional factors that influence these outcomes in a clinical setting.

Methods: a cross-sectional study that targets registered nurses of King Fahad Hospital in eastern Saudi Arabia. A total of 276 participants took part in the Satisfaction and well-being survey regarding EHR.

Results: Most of the participants were between the ages of 31 and 40 years old (57.2%), females (86.6%), non-Saudi (72.1%), had bachelor's degree (75.7%), working in the inpatient ward (30.8%), (35.9%) and had up to 10 years of experience using HER while. Most nurses reported that EHRs improved efficiency (63.4%) and satisfaction (60.5%). Median relative scores were 73.3% for satisfaction and 60% for well-being. Significantly higher satisfaction was observed among non-Saudi nurses compared to Saudi nurses (42.7% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.031) and among those working ≤50 hours per week (40.7% and 41.0% vs. 0.0%; p = 0.047). Higher well-being scores were significantly associated with the age group of 41–50 years (p = 0.027), working in ICUs or operating rooms (p = 0.011), and having 11–20 years of EHR experience (p = 0.032).

Conclusions: this study contributes to the growing body of evidence that experience with EHR systems positively influences nurse well-being and, to some extent, satisfaction. Nurses with more than 10 years of EHR experience—especially those in the 11–20-year range—demonstrated significantly higher well-being scores, highlighting the importance of long-term exposure in building digital resilience. These findings underscore the need for structured, experience-sensitive training, mentorship, and system refinement initiatives aimed at optimizing EHR usability and reducing burnout. Future research should investigate how institutional factors, team culture, and workflow design interact with nurse experience to shape satisfaction and health outcomes.