Peculiarities of Electronic Health Record Implementation - Assignment Example

? Electronic Health Record Implementation Electronic health records (EHR) are digital files that used in used in recording patientinformation in a clinic or hospital setting. EHRs health care institutions to effectively and efficiently manage their data concerning patient and members of staff. There are various EHR designs that are commercially available in the market and their suitability is determined by the nature of operations that take place in a health care facility. The implementation of EHR is primarily focused on improving patient care and increasing the efficiency of health care services. Implementation of EHR is a policy formulation by governments that seeks to reap the benefits afforded by the advances made in the information technology sector. These efforts are geared towards enhancing the efficiency in the health sector, which improves the overall service delivery to the citizenry of a country. The fundamental principle in the implementation of her is the use of computers in everyday health care provision services. This translates to a move away from the conventional use of labour intensive data entry methods that have a heavy reliance on paper work. This paper seeks to highlight the implementation of electronic health records. According to Terry et al (2008), implementation of EHR is transformative sociotechnical change, which translates to the introduction of dynamic structural and procedural changes into the workflow of a healthcare institution. The implementation EHR in its initial stages is not difficult because it entails the installation of the software and hardware components. The challenge begins when it comes to its utilisation by the medical practitioners and other staff members. The transformation is gauged by its impact on the work system in toto, which means that the installations do not have a significant effect on an institution service delivery (Scot et al, 2005). This happens when the personnel is brought into the picture, and the way that they interact with the new system is thus, evaluated for efficiency. The efficiency, effectiveness and safety of health care services is gauged through an EHR enabled workplace (Robertson et al, 2010). Careful consideration should be effected when implementing EHR because the transformations that come with the new changes have significant effects on workflow systems. Workflow systems transform the way that access to document information is carried out which means that there are redistributions of work among clinical and non-clinical staff (Poissant, 2005). Changes to how clinicians and patients interact should be anticipated in order to avoid unprecedented complications like communication barriers and incompatibility of practices. There are evident variations in the way that EHR implementation influences a health care’s procedural system because the transformation accrued wide-ranging effect on cognitive and social aspects in health care. Before the implementation process fully takes off, the groundwork must be laid down firmly. This means that the roles that are supposed to be fulfilled by each member are recognized, and the staff members are willing to embrace the changes forthwith (Miller et al. 2005). Computerization of a health care facility’s health records is tantamount to mechanisation, therefore it is required that the administration sets out clear goals for the purposeful implementation of EHR. The most important aspect to note is that leadership, management, execution and choices are the most significant in the implementation of HER (Lorenzi et al. 2009). The administration of health care institution should spearhead the implementation of HER in the institutions because they are equipped with facilities and management knowhow that execute this task. Morale building is the prerogative of the administration, which heads the human resource department. The human resource department is tasked with ensuring that each respective member of the health care team is cognizant with their roles in light of EHR implementation. Leadership in a health care institution is paramount to the success of an EHR implementation plan because it dictates the direction in which the process will undertake. In essence, this means that the administration is tasked with the implementation protocol. It is the administration’s duty to make it known by way of creating awareness for the need of EHR. This involves selection of a physician (s) who are in support of the implementation to champion and bring others on board towards the successful implementation of the project (Ludwick, & Doucette, 2009). Effective leadership requires that there is responsibility in execution of decisions and every member of staff is held accountable for their goals and behaviours in their respective fields of practice or duty. Leaders should be able to effectively engage, prepare and motivate their staff members, and ensuring that no staff member is left out of discussions pertaining to the intended goals of the institution (Fleming et al, 2011). Ability to identify and rectify weaknesses in employee morale and attitudes towards the implementation process is vital to the effective elimination of possible deterrents to the overall process. A successful implementation program does not entirely rely on a health care’s members of staff and their practitioners. The outside world that they interact with on a daily basis is vital to their success. Societies that are serviced by a health care centre should be actively involved I the implementation process because they are key components of the institution (Boonstra & Broekhuis, 2010). This should be done through awareness campaigns and educational programs targeted at the community. This makes them aware of the impending changes at their health centre, which makes acceptance of transformations that are likely to occur more familiar. Education is key process in the implementation process because it imparts knowledge and skills that are applied in the new EHR system. Education is not only necessary for the community, but also the staff at a health centre because it sensitizes them of the need for the new EHR system. It is the work of an effective human resource team t set goals for the whole health workers’ skill force in line with the expected introduction of new and advanced capabilities that are going to be brought by the new EHR system. Goal setting is an important component of implementing an effective EHR in any health care systems. This is because it enables members of staff to ready themselves in anticipation of the new transformations that are going to be brought about by the new system. When members of the health care team have a set goal in mind, it enables them to have clear focus of the needs of their institution. These goals are used as bench marks to ensure that the proposed achievements and goals are achievable. EHR are predecessors of a culture change in both the institution in terms of procedure and execution of functions. This is in the sense that HER implementation heralds in a new work ethic that is characterized by new processes and protocols (Blumenthal, 2009). Preparation of the health care personnel for the variance they are going to experience in their daily endeavours in the facility. To facilitate a smooth transition from the old system to the new system, all members of staff be made, through a mandatory directive, use the new HER in their activities. This is to ensure that elements of the previous system’s practices are effectively eradicated. It should be made clear from the onset of the implementation that there will be no way around the HER system. This will ensure that they are no elements in the work force who want to sabotage the process. Workflow is the basic lifeline of a health care institution because it indicates a functioning system where every personnel is effective and efficient in their duties. One goal of implementing an EHR is to safely identify and streamline new workflow processes (Ludwick & Doucette, 2009). To ensure that this objective is realized, the effect of implementing the HER on workflow should be tested. This is because an effective HER will be more effective on workflows than paper trails would have in a normal setting. A new workflow under the new implemented HER is tested using different clinical and patient encounters and scenarios amongst the staff and practitioners (Scot et al. 2005). A time motion study should then be conducted to determine if the new workflow is optimal or it is need or minor adjustments. HER systems are techniques that are increasingly being employed by health institutions to improve their service delivery to their patients. HER are information technology applications that entail the use of computer software and hardware in the execution of daily duties in a clinic or hospital. HER have the potential of narrowing the quality gap because they increase the use and effectiveness of preventive services. Improvement of chronic health ailments is improved because management of medical histories related to these diseases is readily available and well organized giving a clear picture of the situation and condition. EHR reduce medical errors by availing complete health records, which make it possible to make correct and appropriate medical decisions. Limitations to the implementation of HER are common in all other endeavours and should be taken as impediments of its necessity and importance towards superior medical service delivery. References Blumenthal, D. (2009). Stimulating the adoption of health information technology. New England Journal of Medicine. Boonstra, A., & Broekhuis, M. (2010). Barriers to the acceptance of electronic medical records by physicians from systematic review to taxonomy and interventions. BMC health services research. Fleming, N. S., Culler, S. D., McCorkle, R., Becker, E. R., & Ballard, D. J. (2011). The financial and nonfinancial costs of implementing electronic health records in primary care practices. Health Affairs. Ludwick, D. A., & Doucette, J. (2009). Adopting electronic medical records in primary care: lessons learned from health information systems implementation experience in seven countries.  Lorenzi, N. M., Kouroubali, A., Detmer, D. E., & Bloomrosen, M. (2009). How to successfully select and implement electronic health records (EHR) in small ambulatory practice settings. BMC medical informatics and decision making. Miller, R. H., West, C., Brown, T. M., Sim, I., & Ganchoff, C. (2005). The value of electronic health records in solo or small group practices. Health Affairs. Poissant, L., Pereira, J., Tamblyn, R., & Kawasumi, Y. (2005). The impact of electronic health records on time efficiency of physicians and nurses: a systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Robertson, A., Cresswell, K., Takian, A., Petrakaki, D., Crowe, S., Cornford, T., ... & Sheikh, (2010). Implementation and adoption of nationwide electronic health records in secondary care in England: qualitative analysis of interim results from a prospective national evaluation. BMJ: British Medical Journal,341. Scott, J. T., Rundall, T. G., Vogt, T. M., & Hsu, J. (2005). Kaiser Permanente's experience of implementing an electronic medical record: a qualitative study.BMJ: British Medical Journal. Terry, A. L., Thorpe, C. F., Giles, G., Brown, J. B., Harris, S. B., Reid, G. J., ... & Stewart, M. (2008). Implementing electronic health records Key factors in primary care. Canadian Family Physician. Read More