Background/Purpose Despite widespread use of Electronic Health Records (EHR), the promise of benefits has not been clearly realised due, in part, to inadequate physician training. Training for EHR use is a highly complex intervention that occurs in a dynamic socio‐technical health system. The purpose of this study was to describe and critically assess the interplay between educational activities and organisational factors that influenced EHR training and implementation across two different hospitals. Methods Based in a socio‐technical framework, a comparative qualitative case study was undertaken as well suited to real‐world processes. Semi‐structured interviews were completed (n = 43), representing administrative leaders, staff physicians, residents and EHR trainers from two Canadian academic hospitals. Thematic analysis was employed for analysis. Results Similar findings were noted at both hospitals despite different implementation strategies. Despite mandatory training, physicians described limited transferability of training to the workplace. Factors contributing to this included standardised vendor modules (lacking specificity for their clinical context); variable EHR trainer expertise; limited post‐launch training; and insufficient preparation for changes to workflow. They described learning while caring for patients and using workarounds. Strong emotional responses were described, including anger, frustration, anxiety and fear of harming patients. Conclusions Training physicians for effective EHR utilisation requires organisational culture transformation as EHRs impacts all aspects of clinical workflows. Analytic thinking to consider workflows, ongoing post‐launch training and the recognition of the interdependency of multiple factors are critical to preparing physicians to provide effective clinical care, and potentially reducing burnout. A list of key considerations is provided for educational leaders.

Primary Subject area Hospital Paediatrics Background Family-centered rounds (FCR) are the cornerstone of pediatric hospital care and have many proven benefits including improved patient outcomes, satisfaction, communication and safety. Traditionally, FCR take place in the patient’s room; however, due the COVID-19 pandemic, entering patient rooms was no longer advisable in order to maintain physical distancing and preserve personal protective equipment (PPE). Therefore, it became clear early in our pandemic response that a new process was required to ensure the benefits of FCR were maintained given their paramount importance to safe and quality patient care. Objectives The objective of this study was to virtualize the in-person FCR process used by our pediatric inpatient medicine teams to improve safety and reduce PPE costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/Methods We quickly identified available hardware (laptops, tablets) and video conferencing software, assembled a multidisciplinary project team and secured administrative and quality improvement support. Quality improvement methodology and participatory design were used to develop and refine our virtual family-centered rounds (vFCR) standard work, and on April 6, 2020 we launched our first vFCR. Over the next 3 months we engaged in a series of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles to iteratively improve our process: nurse auditors attended vFCR daily then met with our project team to review data and observations, and real-time feedback was sought from patients and caregivers. Results Data collected on 1792 vFCR between April 6 and July 31, 2020 revealed 74% of nurses, physicians and trainees were satisfied or very satisfied with vFCR and 88% felt they had a good understanding of the patient care plan after vFCR. 79% of patients and caregivers were satisfied or very satisfied with vFCR and 88% of caregivers felt like a valued member of their child’s care team. We met our target of 10 minutes per patient in 74% of vFCR with an average transition time of <3 minutes between patients. Patients and caregivers felt vFCR were collaborative, more private and less intimidating than in-person FCR, and some even preferred the virtual approach. Conclusion During this pilot, we achieved a standardized vFCR workflow that is safe, feasible, efficient and confidential, with high levels of stakeholder satisfaction and support. vFCR was highly valued by families and yielded unanticipated benefits. Based on current usage, vFCR are saving ~$36,000 monthly in PPE. The importance of this work during the COVID-19 pandemic is clear, but also has benefits in non-pandemic times, including allowing caregivers to participate in FCR when they cannot be at the bedside, enhancing FCR confidentiality, and improving communication and care for isolated patients. Furthermore, the vFCR process is easily adaptable to other inpatient workflows such as consults and multi-disciplinary meetings. We believe this virtual care model is both highly relevant and transferable to a variety of health care settings across Canada and beyond.

Health care systems and providers have rapidly adapted to virtual care delivery during this unprecedented time. Clinical programs initiated a variety of virtual care delivery models to maintain access to care, preserve personal protective equipment, and minimize infectious disease spread. Herein, we first describe the context within paediatric health delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada that fueled the rise of virtual care delivery. We then summarize the development, implementation, and beneficial impact of the innovative virtual care delivery programs currently in use at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for both inpatient and outpatient care, specifically in our ambulatory clinics, emergency department, and mental health program. We highlight the transferable unique ways CHEO has integrated virtual care delivery through our governance structure, stakeholder engagement including patient, caregivers and health care providers and staff, development, and use of eHealth tools and novel approaches for patient care requiring physical assessment. We conclude with our vision for the future of virtual care, one component of paediatric care delivery in the post-COVID-19 era, which requires a common framework for virtual care evaluation. Importantly, rapid implementation of a primarily virtual care model at CHEO sustained high volume quality paediatric care. We believe many of these programs should and will remain in the post-pandemic era. A comprehensive, unified approach to evaluation is essential to yield meaningful results that inform sustainable care delivery models that integrate virtual care, and ultimately help ensure the best health outcomes for our patients.