Development of an Instrument to Measure the Unintended Consequences of EHRs

This article augments the existing body of literature through examining the creation and design of an instrument measuring unintended consequences (UCs) of electronic health records (EHRs). Data from a previous qualitative study that explored nurses’ perceptions of EHR effectiveness as a communication system were analyzed using a theoretical model focused on decision making. The qualitative data, informed by the model, were then organized into an instrument seeking to quantitatively measure nurses’ experiences with UCs of EHRs. The model assisted in revealing patterns in nurses’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the EHR as a communication system that ultimately strengthened the development of the instrument. Instrumentation from qualitative data has long been considered an acceptable and positive approach to scale development. The process for accomplishing this goal has often been omitted from the literature. We contend that other researchers will find this methods article informative for similar undertakings.