Introduction
As technologies entered the field of healthcare, the processes and operations involved in the provision of care became more effective and, at the same time, more complex. In turn, their complexity can produce negative effects on the quality of care. In particular, due to the integration of new technologies, healthcare workers spend more adjusting to the changes they bring to the overall working process. Consequently, a new approach to the workflow may be required. Nurses need to learn how to change and redesign workflow in order to increase its effectiveness.
Three Key Concepts to Use for Workflow Improvement
Workflow Assessment for Health IT Toolkit contains many tools that can be used for the assessment and improvement of the workflow. Out of all the concepts mentioned in various tabs of this Toolkit, it is possible to identify three that I deem highly important for the effectiveness of the workflow: they are checklists, interviews, and usability evaluation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).
Checklists represent a valuable and efficient tool that helps assess and monitor workflow. Checklists are flexible and can be employed for keeping records of processes included in workflow, tasks performed or neglected by workers due to overloads, and the overall intensity of the flow. Interviews can be used for similar purposes. Their major benefit is the provision of employees’ perceptions of the processes and operations they perform. Finally, usability evaluation is another valuable concept that helps identify the effectiveness of the existing flow design. In the organization, it would be possible to apply checklists and interviews simultaneously for the collection of data about how workflows related to the use of the new EHR system is organized. The two tools would help gather information based on observations of the process as well as the perceptions of users.
Article Summary
The article selected for this paper was written by Carayon, Smith, Hundt, Kuruchittham, and Li (2009), and focused on the use of the EHRs. In this study, workflows related to the use of this system were evaluated in terms of user experience, organizational changes, and work patterns. The required data was collected via surveys, interviews, and workflow analysis (Carayon et al., 2009). One of the major changes in workflow that were revealed during this assessment was employees’ increased dependency on their computers. Due to the need to spend more time using computers, staff members started to spend less time doing other tasks. Interviews were an effective tool in this assessment that added to the context of the issue and helped identify some ineffective patterns.
How Information in the Article Can Help Improve Workflow
In the organization, interviews with nurses can be conducted regarding their perceptions of the existing workflow related to the use of EHRs. Data collected from nurses as direct users of the aforementioned system can shed light on the current complications related to its implementation as well as work patterns that the system may slow down. Professional opinions of nurses and their impressions of using the EHRs can help determine what processes need to be optimized in order to prevent the new system from producing negative effects on related operations.
The Importance of Monitoring the Effect of Technology on Workflow and Conclusion
Usually, new technologies are integrated for the purpose of making the workflow more effective. However, adjustment to the new systems can strain employees and slow down the workflow (Cain & Haque, 2008). Consequently, it is critical to assess the effect technology has on work patterns and optimize the aspects and tasks that are affected negatively. Timely assessments are needed that can be carried out in the form of checklists, surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and flow charts that can help understand the impact technology has on the existing workflow better and take respective measures for its improvement.
References
Cain, C., & Haque, S. (2008). Organizational workflow and its impact on work quality. In Hughes, R. G. (Ed.), Patient safety and quality: An evidence-based handbook for nurses (pp. 1-13). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).
Carayon, P., Smith, P., Hundt, A. S., Kuruchittham, V., & Li, Q. (2009). Implementation of an electronic health records system in a small clinic: The viewpoint of clinic staff. Behaviour & Information Technology, 28(1), 5-20.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). All workflow tools.Web.