Introduction
Change is a crucial and inseparable component of high-quality healthcare since it allows a nurse to adjust the ever-changing environment to the needs of a specific population and, thus utilize the available resources to promote recovery or health improvement. Alterations in the patients’ understanding of their condition and the development of awareness, as well as crucial health maintenance skills, should be seen as an especially important part of the change in healthcare since it contributes to better patient outcomes (Daim, Behkami, Basoglu, Kök, & Hogaboam, 2016).
Therefore, patient education needs to be enhanced in the modern healthcare setting, which can be implemented with the help of innovative technology such as interactive patient engagement technology (IPET) and electronic health records (EHR). As a result, the levels of self-care and self-efficacy will grow exponentially among the target demographic, while the number of medical errors will be minimized.
Opportunity: Description
Hospital X is presently using a paper system in all areas of the organization and now wishes to transition over to electronic health records (EHRs). Therefore, Epic software should be introduced into the environment of the facility, particularly, to its clinical areas. The organization is not sure what methods to use to implement this change and has asked the Epic company to see if there is a change expert or implementation expert available to serve in this capacity at the hospital. The writer has now been chosen for the position which she has accepted.
Clinical Expertise
As a registered nurse, I have the clinical expertise that can suffice to introduce a program for patient education and the use of IPET within the specified setting. My Bachelor Degree in nursing allows me to identify the needs of the target demographic, whereas my Master’s Degree in nursing with specialization in informatics will help me locate the strategies for incorporating technological advances into the selected environment.
Thus, I will be able to ensure an increase in recovery rates and a profound understanding of patient-specific needs. Consequently, my skills will help me facilitate the implementation of change in the identified setting. The specified step will involve the transition from the traditional information management system to an improved one. Particularly, the use of EHR should be seen as a necessity since it will secure patients’ data and prevent any mismanagement of the existing information, at the same time encouraging its active sharing among the members of an interdisciplinary nursing team.
Opportunity and Information Management System
The proposed information management system opens a plethora of opportunities for improving the current framework for addressing the health-related needs of vulnerable groups. According to DeVore (2015), the EHR system has the potential to integrate all pertinent patient information into one lifetime record, which will help to improve an array of processes within the selected healthcare organization.
The expected positive outcomes include an increase in the quality of health information, care coordination, patient safety and productivity, cost reduction, provide support for research, reduce wait time for treatment, and contribute to the level of healthcare knowledge. For the change expert or implementation expert working with the healthcare organization, certain data must be researched and taken into consideration before the task or project is started. For this purpose, one will have to ask several questions.
Four Interview Questions
- Will there be the authorized users of the electronic system after implementation and are these users computer literate? If not, will training be provided by the organization?
- What does the organization wish to accomplish from implementing an electronic system?
- Over what timeline does the organization want the electronic system to be implemented?
- Will there be a support team to work, and who will be a part of the support team?
The specified interview questions will help determine whether the project is viable and whether it can present the expected deliverables. In addition, the inquiry will shed light on the available resources. The identified assessment concerns not only financial assets but also the issues such as the presence of a sustainable leadership strategy and the ability to manage the set tasks respectively.
Finally, the introduction of a user-friendly interface that will simplify the process of patient education with the help of IPET will become possible. Therefore, the answers to the interview questions will define the further course of the healthcare practice in the specified environment.
Three Points to Clarify
To make the project as efficient as possible, one will also need to create the environment of complete transparency and clarity. For this reason, three key points will have to be explored before the project is set in motion. Specifically, the leadership framework used in the specified nursing setting will need further explanations. It is essential to explore the strategies that the leaders of the facility deploy in order to implement change. The information received in the process will define the areas that will require additional focus. For instance, the issue of staff motivation may need to be addressed when introducing the selected innovations into the environment of the facility.
Particularly, to encourage a shift toward the active use of EHR and the promotion of IPET as the basis for patient education, one may switch to the application of the Transformational Leadership principles (Patmon, Gee, Rylee, & Readdy, 2016). Furthermore, the knowledge management system utilized at Hospital X will need to be studied in depth. Since nurses and other healthcare staff members may experience difficulties in transferring from the traditional data management tools to EHR, learning strategies and training courses may be required to help nurses increase the levels of their proficiency.
Finally, the third point that will require clarifications is the current approach that the leaders of Hospital X use in order to encourage innovative thinking (Roussel, Harris, & Thomas, 2015). The introduction of innovations is fraught with challenges unless managers and staff are capable of approaching tasks from an original perspective and seek new ways of handling the emergent difficulties.
Two Consultation Items
Consultations are also crucial for the efficient management of change at Hospital X. Due to the expected difficulties in transferring from one system of data management to another, nurses and the rest of the healthcare personnel will need substantial consultations. Similarly, the dilemmas and issues associated with IPET will require counseling services from experienced healthcare experts (Nelson & Staggers, 2016). Therefore, a nurse educator will have to be introduced to the hospital setting in order to improve the current state of awareness among patients.
The second issue that will require additional consultations is linked to controlling the progress. Due to the introduction of innovative tools for collecting information about patients, nurses will need assistance in collecting and arranging the newly obtained information. Thus, reports will have to be submitted to keep track of the changes in nurses’ understanding of the process and their ability to handle the EHR system. Furthermore, the services of a nurse educator will also be extended to assist healthcare staff members at Hospital X in learning about the EHR. As a result, the EHR framework will be incorporated into the set of tools used at Hospital X seamlessly.
Resources and Rationale
The redesign of the current data management system within Hospital X will require both traditional and innovative media. Specifically, books and visuals will be used as traditional tools of educating nurses. Similarly, traditional visuals such as posters will be incorporated into the process of educating patients. However, to ensure that the members of Hospital X embrace innovations in their entirety, one will need to include IT tools into the framework as well.
Specifically, simulations and interactive IT techniques will be included in the process of teaching staff members. Similarly, interactive elements and the IPET technology will be utilized to teach patients about the management of their health concerns.
The need to prompt the fast acquisition of skills and information, as well as to control the process, constitutes the rationale for the selection of the resources. Moreover, training and development will benefit the employees by helping them to grow professionally and individually (DeVore, 2015). By providing skills through training and development, staff will recognize the goals of the organization. Moreover, the employees will feel that they play an important role in the completion of the specified goals.
Conclusion
By incorporating innovative technology in healthcare to ensure patient education and maintain the data management process unceasing and error-free, one will contribute to a rise in the quality of care. Therefore, change has to be implemented in the selected environment. As patient awareness rates grow, the target population will develop a profound understanding of their condition. As a result, patients will be able to acquire healthy behaviors and habits, at the same time gaining the ability to recognize risk factors and ask for the assistance of healthcare staff member.
The use of IPET tools is especially important due to the simple user interface, which encourages faster education, and due to the increase in patient-nurse connectivity. As a result, a strong bond is formed yet does not hinder the development of patient autonomy and independence. Thus, the promotion of patient education and the acquisition of skills among the nursing staff will lead to a rise in the recovery statistics and the levels of well-being among patients at Hospital Z.
References
Daim, T. U., Behkami, N. A., Basoglu, N., Kök, O. M., & Hogaboam, L. (2016). Healthcare technology innovation adoption: Electronic Health Records and other emerging health information technology innovations. New York, NY: Springer.
DeVore, A. (2015). The Electronic Health Record for the physician’s office for SimChart for the medical office. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Nelson, R., & Staggers, N. (2016). Health informatics: An interprofessional approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier.
Patmon, F. L., Gee, P. M., Rylee, T. L., & Readdy, N. L. (2016). Using interactive patient engagement technology in clinical practice: A qualitative assessment of nurses’ perceptions. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(11). Web.
Roussel, L. A., Harris, J. L., & Thomas, T. (2015). Management and leadership for nurse administrators (7th ed.). New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.