Use of Electronic and Paper-based Standardized Nursing Care Plans to Improve Nurses' Documentation Quality in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of electronic and paper-based standardized nursing care plans (SNCPs) use on quality of nurses' documentation.
Methods: Using quasi-experimental design, two wards were grouped into electronic and paper-based wards. Nurses were trained to use electronic- and paper-based SNCPs for care-planning and documentation. Data was collected before, 3, and 6 months postintervention and analyzed with SPSS version 20.
Findings: There was improvement in documentation quality in the two wards after introducing SNCPs with higher quality scores in the electronic ward postintervention.
Conclusion: Providing SNCPs in electronic and paper formats is critical to improving nursing documentation.
Implication for Nursing Practice: Adequate training and support for nurses are needed for successful implementation of SNCPs in electronic health records (EHRs) in developing nations.
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