Week 11 Information Technology Initiative
Overall, technology is becoming more and more popular within healthcare systems. Many of these initiatives are geared towards patients and getting them more involved in their own care. For this assignment, the information technology (IT) initiative that was chosen was implementing tablets within the inpatient setting to allow patients and parents to be able to access up to date information on their hospital care and stay.
This initiative was chosen for many reasons. Patients being able to access their electronic health records during their hospital stay allows them to have current information regarding labs, procedure results, doctor notes and plans. Studies show that Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score (Vink, Fareed, MacEwan 2019). Initiating the tablets could also decrease wait times for parents and family awaiting the providers arrival to find out results.
Barriers to Implementing the Tablets
One of the identified barriers of implementing the tablets for inpatient use is the staff shortage due to the pandemic. It would be hard to decide which health care worker would be elected to show the patient or parents how to use the tablets due to the already added stress on healthcare workers. Another barrier includes convincing administration the need to purchase the tablets to use throughout the hospital. Some other barriers may include deciding what to do if the tablets were accidently taken or broken. All these barriers would need to be addressed in the plan.
Change Management Strategies
The Technology Informatics Guiding Education reform (TIGER) initiative was designed to unite nursing stakeholders to create a shared vision, different ideas and to develop ways to improve nursing practice, education and how patient care is delivered by using the health information technology (IT). It is important to have strong change management strategies when implementing an informative technology initiative. When deciding to make a change the change should be clearly defined (“How to make a change management strategy (and defuse the growth time bomb),” 2017). Everyone needs to know the plan and work towards common goals.
Others must be involved and recognize the need for the change (Makumbe, 2016). The individual or group must present the need for change idea to the group or fellow coworkers. The next change management is a structural change. Leadership must ensure others understand the issues and use a set of tools or processes that support the issue (Makumbe, 2016). Change should be a team approach. Engaging others to assist with the proposed change issue, creating effective plans to implement and sustain changes and facilitate the groups working on the project (Makumbe, 2016).
In order overcome barriers is to make sure the tablets have a protective case. It is important to explain to the other team members about the IT tablet program The leadership of the project needs to put together a presentation to help when trying to get funding for the project.
Leadership
It is important when working with a group of people to endorse the need for respect, honor, and support. A team must work together. The change environment needs to be pleasant, neutral in thought and inviting so that team members feel comfortable asking questions and participate in the change process.
References
- How to make a change management strategy (and defuse the growth time bomb). (2017, July 17). Process Street. https://www.process.st/change-management-strategy/
- Makumbe, W. (2016). Predictors of effective change management: A literature review. Academic Journals. https://academicjournals.org/Journal/AJBM/article-full-text-pdf/786990C62201
- Vink, S., Fareed, N., MacEwan, S., & McAlearney, A. (2019). An exploration of the association between inpatient access to tablets and patient satisfaction with hospital care. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6931050/
Sample Answer
Response 1: Implementation of Tablets
The introduction of tablets into the market has benefited in the improvement of services in a range of industries, notably in terms of the added value these devices have provided to healthcare. Several healthcare organizations have begun to better integrate tablets into their entire operations to improve the resilience and efficiency of their current systems. Vink and his colleagues (2019) are correct to state that the integration of tablets into the healthcare process will assist to reduce the wait times that a patient’s relatives might have to incur for results. Various other advantages are related to the incorporation of tablets into the healthcare facilities, they include; patients are instantly able to access their health records instantly, they assist in practice management, and they can also assist in the computerized drug order entry (AHRQ, 2019).
Despite all the advantages named above, there are various limitations that a healthcare facility may experience in their implementation of the tablet into their healthcare process. For example, a healthcare facility may require hiring a staff worker responsible for running the implementation process (Makumbe, 2016). This may be difficult if one considers the shortage of staff that healthcare facilities have suffered from due to the pandemic. Another barrier might be the cost of purchasing the tablets. However, despite all these challenges, healthcare facilities are supposed to embrace the implementation of tablets as it assists in making their work easier. It is important for any healthcare facility to develop a strategic plan when implementing the use of tablets in their medical practice.
References
- Agency for Health Quality and Research (2019). Health information technology integration. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/health-it/index.html
- Makumbe, W. (2016). Predictors of effective change management: A literature review. Academic Journals. https://academicjournals.org/Journal/AJBM/article-full-text-pdf/786990C62201
- Vink, S., Fareed, N., MacEwan, S., & McAlearney, A. (2019). An exploration of the association between inpatient access to tablets and patient satisfaction with hospital care. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6931050/
