The full potential for electronic health record systems in facilitating a positive transformation in care, with improvements in quality and safety, has yet to be realised. There remains a need to reconceptualise the structure, content and use of the nursing component of electronic health record systems. The aim of this study was to engage and involve a diverse group of stakeholders, including nurses and electronic health record system developers, in exploring together both issues and possible new approaches to documentation that better fit with practice, and that facilitate the optimal use of recorded data. Three focus groups were held in the UK and USA, using a semi-structured interview guide, and a common reflexive approach to analysis. The findings were synthesised into themes that were further developed into a set of development principles that might be used to inform a novel electronic health record system specification to support nursing practice.