Introduction
Innovative solutions to the management of patients’ personal data have had a tremendous impact on the healthcare industry, causing a massive shift in the process of data collection, analysis, and storage. The Electronic Health Record (EHR) framework has become one of the most common tools for handling patient data, ensuring that essential information is available to all healthcare staff members, and keeping its secure (Hansen, Sanchez-Ferro, & Maetzler, 2018).
However, the EHR system has not yet become a fully inseparable part of the U.S. healthcare system, with a range of healthcare institutions still being at the stage of accepting the innovation (Hansen et al., 2018).
The target healthcare facility is one of those organizations, which means that several barriers will have to be overcome in order to produce the required change and ensure the smooth transition to the new approach toward handling patient data. By increasing the extent to which key stakeholders are involved in the contemplations of how EHR can be incorporated into the data management system within the hospital, one will make the changes for the successful establishment of the EHR system and its acceptance among staff members possible.
Recommendations, Technological and Logistical Changes, and Challenges to Health Information Management System Improvement
The problems linked to logistics, which will emerge at the stage of establishing the EHR framework within the Viva Health environment, can be managed by revisiting the present approach that Viva Health has taken to communicate goals and objectives to its staff members. Specifically, a team of experts that will represent the command center will have to be built and led by a transformational leader.
Thus, the core of the implementation process will be constructed so that foundation for integrating the EHR framework could be provided. The described challenge is linked directly to the problem of finding engaged participants who will be eager to pioneer the change into the organization. However, the described issue can still be addressed by providing incentives to employees, offering them training options, and rewarding initiative as the cornerstone of change within the hospital setting.
The next logistical change that has to be made to integrate the EHR system into its functioning concerns the infrastructure of the information management process within the hospital. For this, purpose, the provider-mediated exchange will be incorporated into the process of changing the hospital information management process. The use of a controlled network that will allow staff members to navigate the change process and share information, thus remaining informed and updated on the latest changes within the system, will have to be established (Sole et al., 2018).
The described solution to the infrastructure-related challenge will allow reducing the amount of time that the implementation process will take and keeping all participants updated on the progress of EHR implementation. The solution in question is especially important when considering communication with VIVA Health’s vendor, who will require clear and accurate directions for providing the necessary equipment.
The notion of interoperability as the foundational principle of the EHR system will also have to be incorporated into change management to ensure that the logistical processes should be performed flawlessly. In itself, interoperability implies that the existing system of data management is compatible with the new one (Palvia, Jacks, & Brown, 2015). As long as the elements of the current data management processes are non-interoperable with the EHR-based ones, the incorporating of the EHR system will be impossible (Kharrazi, Gonzalez, Lowe, Huerta, & Ford, 2018). Therefore, the standards for data management and the approaches toward information collection, storage, and transfer will have to be reconsidered to address the challenges linked to the redesign of the current infrastructure and the promotion of logistical changes,
Finally, the technological aspect of change that is expected to take place at VIVA Hospital will have to be studied thoroughly. Since the process of installing the EHR system as the main method of information management within the hospital will need the shift from the traditional information management to the use of digital and mobile digital data management tools (Rangachari et al., 2018). Therefore, the issue of price is likely to be one of the essential impediments to implementing the proposed change. Nevertheless, with the reconsideration of the hospital budget and the support of investors, the integration of EHR into the Viva Health system will be possible.
The EHR system is doubtlessly one of the most effective tools for encompassing vast amounts of data, systemizing it, and keeping the access restricted solely to the healthcare staff. However, establishing the EHR framework as a new system in which the information will be handled may be fraught with multiple obstacles, starting from technological changes to the inevitable cases of reluctance among some, if not all, o the staff members. Each of the challenges needs to be addressed in a unique and appropriate manner to reduce the risks that are inherently connected to the implementation process. For this reason, all stakeholders that are related to the promotion of change have to be involved in the process.
Resistance to change among nurses is the key challenge related to the resources. Therefore, Vila Health will have to adopt a new approach toward human resource management (HRM) to pursue the goal of keeping staff members engaged and motivated to participate in the EHR system. For this reason, the rationale behind the employees’ resistance to change will have to be identified, which can be done via personal interviews or surveys. The former is preferable due to the opportunity for staff members to release emotional tension and share their fears in a personal conversation, thus ensuring that their concerns are heard.
As soon as the main factors behind the unwillingness to accept changes are identified, appropriate modifications to the organizational environment will be made to appease staff members, along with the introduction of extra benefits, incentives, and learning opportunities. The selected strategy is believed to cause a shift in motivation rates due to the explicit display of employer engagement and the use of the talent management approach (Poba-Nzaou, 2016). Thus, the problem of unwillingness to accept the innovations will be managed.
Data Products and Outcomes from Recommendations: Alignment with Administrative and Clinical Goals and Key Criteria
Given the expected results of the EHR-driven initiative described above, the data product and outcomes based on the recommendations above align with the clinical goals fully. Currently, VIVA Health is struggling with the management of information and the reduction in the severity and number of medical errors caused by data mismanagement. The described problem, which is partially explained by an increasing shortage of nurses in the facility and a rise in the extent and range of responsibilities and tasks, impedes the organization from meeting its goals.
The focus on faster recovery and the management of patients’ health-related needs, as well as the enhancement of health literacy in patients and encouragement of education in nurses, are the key clinical goals that VIVA Health is presently pursuing. Thus, the presentation of the EHR system into the organizational context will cause a major shift in the quality of nursing services and the efficacy of data management. The process of information transfer will be improved since errors or omissions made by nurses when transferring to one another patient-related data will no longer be an issue. Consequently, the data products and outcomes that are bound to be produced with the use of the EHR system will align fully with the objectives and vision of the hospital.
Similarly, the expected outcomes align with the administrative objectives, which currently revolve around the accomplishment of daily tasks and meeting the needs of inpatients. Specifically, the use of an EHR system will entail a change in the implementation of key procedures, such as the supervision of patients and the procedures involving administering medications to the target demographic (Curtis et al., 2018).
For example, the use of a unified system of data will help nurses to see which patients have not yet been provided with the necessary medication. Moreover, the adoption of the EHR system will help to track down the use of every drug, as well as the time at which it was delivered to a patient, the amount of medicine used for intake, and other crucial pieces of data that will be incorporated into the patient’s records. Finally, the EHR framework will give nurse managers and administrators the opportunity to monitor the performance of the staff and locate the threat of a medical error, thus preventing it immediately (Adler-Milstein & Jha, 2017). Therefore, a rapid improvement in the quality of care is expected.
To ensure that the application of the EHR framework complies with the set organizational and administrative objectives, one may need to introduce a reporting system into the facility along with the change in its infrastructure and data management. The use of regular reports will help managers and administrators supervise crucial processes and the accomplishment of the tasks that were assigned to nurses.
The levels of patient satisfaction, in turn, can also be monitored through surveys and changes in the number of complaints. Similarly, tools for evaluating set goals will be included into the hospital setting to control the impact of EHR on the performance of the hospital staff and the changes in patients’ well-being. Moreover, alterations in the existing data management system will prompt a change in the criteria for quality and information management set at Viva Health.
Leveraging Contemporary Data Analysis Trends to Improve Current Practices. Processes for Continuous Improvement
The current tendencies in information analysis will have to be taken into consideration when improving the performance of staff members at Viva Health once the EHR framework is implanted into its organizational processes. The use of multiple technological resources when seeking to aggregate the relevant data and incorporate it into the decision-making process should be considered an absolute necessity. While the EHR tools are critical for promoting improved outcomes and faster recovery, other innovative solutions should be included into the process of meeting patient-specific needs and reducing medical errors.
For example, the hospital managers may view the integration of predictive analytics tools into the process of data analysis as an opportunity for substantial change (Selvaraj et al., 2018). The proposed alterations to the processes within the hospital setting will lead to fast and adequate responses to rapid changes in patients’ state.
Moreover, the principles of unceasing improvement as a part of the hospital philosophy should be viewed as an indispensable element of change. The idea of incremental innovation as the basis for the organizational philosophy will have a mostly beneficial effect on the general performance levels since it will prepare staff members for change, reducing the threat of resistance among them. In addition, the described philosophy will incite the trend of professional growth in nurses and healthcare staff members, leading to a rise in the quality of their services. In order to institutionalize the concept of change as an inseparable constituent of the organizational philosophy, Viva Health will need to integrate the models such as Total Quality Management and the reconsideration of the current quality standards.
To ensure that all nurses can comply with the newly introduced quality criteria fully, a set of updated and clear guidelines will have to be provided. The introduction of new standards of care will also contribute to the improvement of the documentation processes in the nursing setting. As a result, the information flow will remain continuous and uninterrupted, which will lead to better accomplishment of set goals.
For this reason, the standard statements to be designed for nurse at Viva Health will have to be broad enough to be applied to any nursing context and at the same time suggest a clear course of actions. For example, EHR standards should be applicable to the context of the ICU environment to provide a nurse with “real time clinical decision support” (Yanamadala, Morrison, Curtin, Mcdonald, & Hernandez-Boussard, 2016, p. 1). Thus, nurses will be able to acquire the skill set that will allow them to meet the expected outcomes in a manner as timely as possible.
Practices for Collecting Data, Securely Storing Data and Analyzing It. Specific Processes for Ensuring Accomplishment of Recommendations
In the nursing environment, there is no single approach toward data collection. While being homogenous in its nature due to the consistency thereof and the focus on a specific type of information, the process of retrieving the information needed for clinical decision-making may vary extensively depending on the type of case (Sole et al., 2018). Among the most effective practices for obtaining the information needed for decision-making and management of the EHR resources, nurses will have to perform dally observations and measurements.
The assessment of patients’ health status will offer a plethora of information that will be utilized to improve care and select the interventions and treatment options that will benefit the target population most. Among the specific processes that allow accomplishing the project successfully, one may need to mention the use of testing to ensure that the system runs accurately.
Evidence and Best Practices to Target Proposal Messaging to Stakeholders. Challenges in Persuading Stakeholders
Currently, it is crucial to strengthen the relationships between staff members to create the core of change promotion within the hospital system. Due to highly possible resistance to change, Viva Health will need a team of innovation-driven experts, who will promote the idea of improvement and assist their colleagues in getting used to and familiarized with the system of EHR. Moreover, the overall improvement of the communication process and communication systems used for the enhancement of cooperation between nurses and hospital managers will have to be deemed as an absolute necessity.
Once miscommunicated, the newly developed ideas will work against the hospital as staff members may perceive the innovations as an obstacle to performing their tasks rather than the support for them. Thus, the administration and the HR experts will have to build the communication channel that will encourage the nursing staff to participate in the dialogue about the change and the effects that it will have on their performance.
In addition, the discussion of the alterations that the hospital will experience shortly will also have a positive influence on the issue of interdisciplinary collaboration. Due to the difficulties that Viva Health has currently seen in the promotion of collaboration between nurses and physicians, introducing the spirit of comradery into the team will be crucial. Approaching the problem of managing EHR and gaining new skills together and from several standpoints, the hospital staff will be able to manage the process of learning and getting used to the changes in their tasks and quality standards more easily than they would when handling the emergent issues independently.
However, some of the stakeholders may not be easily convinced that the use of EHR in managing the key processes and monitoring the accomplishment of tasks is absolutely necessary. To persuade the stakeholders to accept the idea of transferring to the use of EHR, one will need to provide statistical data concerning the effects that the application of EHR has on the performance of healthcare organizations. In addition, problems that nurses are presently facing at Viva Health will have to be outlined, emphasizing that the EHR framework will alleviate these challenged. Thus, stakeholders will be more open to the notion of purchasing the required equipment and transferring to the digital management of patients’ data.
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