The benefits of automating and systemizing, gathering, and storing data have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that information becomes more structured and easier to access and use. This is particularly beneficial for research, as a large amount of data about different patients can be categorized, exported, and used for statistics. The disadvantages consist of lower security of information when it is stored digitally. There is always a possibility that information can be leaked if the system gets attacked by hackers (Richins, 2015). A way to address this is to lessen the ability of third parties to identify information in terms of who it is about. This can be achieved by not mentioning the names of patients and employees in the data, and, for example, identifying them by identification numbers that are not linked to their names in the database.
Key considerations to be taken into account when investing in automation technologies mostly concentrate on appropriate planning and looking for all the factors to be in the course of change being implemented. It is necessary to clarify what the technology is designed to improve and resolve. Many healthcare information purchases are made based on projected benefits that are frequently vague. This can make it difficult to get a consensus on a shared vision across the healthcare system. Building consensus and collective understanding of what kind of work and what is being conducted with everybody involved is crucial for keeping everybody engaged in the implementation. Many authors in the field of organizational change have emphasized the importance of high-level strategic leadership from senior management, including administrative and clinical leaders, and this is correct; however, it is also critical to involve and gain buy-in from various professional stakeholder groups to facilitate co-ownership and ensure commitment.
Different options should be considered, as they vary in price, quality, and purposes. Besides, the systems that meet clinical requirements and that an organization can afford must be chosen. Infrastructure has to be optimized to allow the software to function properly and most efficiently (Cresswell, Bates, & Sheikh, 2013). Staff is to be trained appropriately to be able to use and maintain new software and hardware, and the maintenance must be regular and structured. The performance and its changes should be regularly evaluated for further consideration.
Two factors that benefit from automation in healthcare are business care for patients. Automation helps provide better service that positively affects the experience of patients. For business, it gives an opportunity to easily assess all the systems, their reliability, and the proper use of all the tools, which leads to higher efficiency and lower waste of time and resources (O’Dowd, 2018). The main aspect determining this improvement is the effects of the human factor being reduced, as automation allows making many processes more precise and results in fewer errors occurring. A healthcare organization doesn’t need to hire its own IT specialists team to develop such systems.
There is always an opportunity to find an IT organization that provides such services, and they often have their developed systems and sell them as products. Maintenance, feedback, updates, and tuning of the system for the specific need of an organization and its continuous development are also offered. Patients get better experiences not only because the services they are being provided are more developed and advanced. They can access their data via software related to their healthcare organization much faster and more conveniently as well.
The main organizational outcomes to be considered are the quality of services provided, satisfaction of the clients, compliance with the law, and proper care for patients. Improvements regarding the implementation of automized processes recently related to the increase in efficiency of artificial intelligence. Cases of its uses become more and more frequent, as they prove to be appropriate and beneficial both for businesses and patients’ experiences. Automation helps healthcare organizations tackle problems regarding case management processes like insurance and grievances, and automation of them proved in existing experiences of other organizations to be efficient (Bennet, n.d.). It appears to be easier to consider all important factors and increase the pace of work when such processes are automized. Nevertheless, this does not mean that doctors will rely more on technology. It would simply be a tool that would make their work easier and faster, and there is perhaps nothing to be concerned about if professionals from different areas including healthcare and IT trust such technologies.
In conclusion, Kensington Family Practice would be recommended to implement automation. The advantages consisting of improved care and patient experience, reduced labor cost, higher efficiency, and pace of work would be beneficial for the organization. The implementation would result positively in the capital and the organizational goals. Taking extra care of security and confidentiality is recommended as the main risks regarding these areas. Yet, it is almost necessary to make that step in the development of the organization to stay up-to-date with modern demands in healthcare and be on the level of concurrence on the market.
Reference List
Bennet, D. (n.d.). The Growing Trend of Automation in Healthcare.
Cresswell, K., Bates, D. & Sheikh, A. (2013). Ten key considerations for the successful implementation and adoption of large-scale health information technology. Web.
O’Dowd, E. (2018) Applying Automation Technology to Health IT Infrastructure.
Richins, S.M. (2015). Emerging Technologies in Healthcare (1st ed.). Web.