Introducing Electronic Health Records to Nurses - Paper Example

Introduction

Technology has been proven beyond doubts to improve service delivery and output in organizations. An example of such a technique in the healthcare sector is the Electronic Health Record (EHR) which is an efficient and effective means of documenting and communicating patient care. However, the introduction of EHR in health organizations in the New York has experienced resistance expressed by nurses. Part of the reason for this scenario is the fact that creation and implementation of EHR systems involve huge challenges for the nurses and physicians (Lyons & Klasko, 2011). This implies that for the creation and implementation of EHR systems to be successful, nurses concerns have to be dully considered during the program implementation process, and this should entail engaging nurses directly through facilitators. Boonstra and Broekhuis (2010) observed that one way to ensure nurses acceptance for EHR systems is to involve them in the implementation process. As a facilitator, one can successfully address the nurses concerns and prepare them for upcoming EHR implementation by inviting them to a meeting and providing various information or activities using the five qualities outlined by Rodgers (2003).

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Rodgers Theory

Everett Rodgers was a pioneer in the field of innovations, and he established that there exist five qualities that determine individual attitudes towards adopting new technology. They include relative advantage, compatibility, simplicity, trialability and observable results (Rodgers, 2003).

Relative Advantage

According to Rodgers (2003), for an individual to adopt a new technology, he or she must see how that innovation will improve how something is done and result in higher efficiency and effectiveness over the older way of doing things. Also, Scott, Plotnikoff, Karunamuni, Bize, and Rodgers (2008) established that physicians and nurses' intention to use new technology are mostly influenced by the relative advantage and the observability of that technology. It implies that the nurse facilitator should succinctly demonstrate to the nurses how EHR is different from the older way of documenting health records and the various benefits that will accrue as a result of trying this new system. The nurse facilitator should gather data from health organizations that have tried the EHR to show that it works with qualitative and quantitative evidence demonstrating how it has improved service delivery as well as easing nurses' work and improving their working conditions. The facilitator can prepare a clear presentation with graphs, pictures, and statistics that will help in conceptualizing how EHR has already enhanced service delivery in health organizations that have already implemented within the state. Emphasis should be on the advantages or benefits of the EHR.

Compatibility

For an individual to adopt an innovation, he or she must comprehend how it aligns with current practices or is compatible with existing values (Rodgers, 2003). The nurse facilitator should provide information about how the EHR operates and how the current practices can be integrated into the system. This will help the nurses evaluate how the new system will impact their operations and ease tension related to fear of disruption of their norms as a result of the introduction of the new technology. Also, the facilitator should provide information regarding ethical issues related to the EHR to help the nurses understand the implications of the values system. Addressing ethical issues that may arise from the EHR allows nurses shade off misconceptions that may have been associated with new technology.

Simplicity

Rodgers (2003) argued that an individual intending to adopt an innovation must believe that he or she can easily learn the new technology; the more difficult mastering the new system appears, the higher the chances of resistance occurring. The nurse facilitator should provide information on how the system works and train the nurses on how to operate the system. The training should be well coordinated such that the nurses do not encounter difficulties when trying to operate the new systems. Handouts describing the entire process and what needs to be done should be prepared and issued by the nurse facilitator. This will allow the nurses to visualize the new process they will be going through when documenting and retrieving health records. Having gone through the visualization process, the nurses will believe that the new system is simple and that they can quickly learn and use it.

Trialability

An individual needs to have a chance to "play around" with the innovation to discover its capabilities (Rodgers, 2003). The nurse facilitator should create opportunities for the nurses to "play around" with the innovation. This will entail deploying some of the EHR machines in various departments for the nurses to try it out after having undergone the training. The nurses will test the system and understand it better. It will also help them raise any new concerns which shall be taken up by the facilitator for discussion on how they can be resolved.

Observable Results

For an individual to adopt an innovation, he or she must have evidence that the suggested technology has been successful elsewhere (Rodgers, 2003). The facilitator should gather information regarding EHR implementation in other health organizations within the New York and other parts of the world and present to the nurses so that they can realize how the technology has been tried and tested to be working effectively and efficiently. Local examples will be appropriate as it will inform the nurses that the technology fits into their situation too. The facilitator can organize for a section of the nurses to benchmark one of the local health organizations that have implemented the EHR system for them to see how it has been successful and transformed the workplace into an efficient and effective one.

Nurses as Change Agents

Nurses occupy the frontline in technology implementation aimed at improving care delivery to the patient and their families. As such, nurses play a crucial role in facilitating the adoption of innovations by identifying how technology can increase efficiency in service delivery and guide through implementation process to take charge of the complex system that is created within the health organization (Friganovic, 2016). Nurses are resourceful persons who help in designing the new systems according to the patient and family needs.

Conclusion

Where new technology is to be introduced in a health organization, the facilitators can make use of the five qualities identified by Rodgers (2003) in preparation for implementation and aversion of nurses' resistance to change. Under the guide of the five qualities, a facilitator should identify information regarding to the new technology to demonstrate benefits to be accrued, how the new system will improve their work, how the new system will align with present practices, and qualitative and quantitative data showing how the proposed system has helped in enhancing service delivery in other organizations. Also, the facilitator should deploy the new system for the nurses to "play around" with it. Nurses can also be taken to benchmark other organizations that have successfully implemented the technology to allow them to observe the results and believe that the innovation is working and can enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in delivering care to the patients.

References

Boonstra, A., & Broekhuis, M. (2010). Barriers to the acceptance of electronic medical records by physicians from systematic review to taxonomy and interventions. BMC health services research, 10(1), 231.

Friganovic, A. (2016). Nursing and Implementation of Modern Technology. Signa Vitae: Journal for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, 12(1.), 23-27.

Lyons, J. P., & Stephen Klasko MD, M. B. A. (2011). Introduction of an Electronic Medical Record System into Physician Practice Offices: Why Is It so#%! &-ing Hard for Everybody?-Part II. The Journal of medical practice management: MPM, 26(6), 342.

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Elements of diffusion. Diffusion of innovations, 5(1.38).

Scott, S. D., Plotnikoff, R. C., Karunamuni, N., Bize, R., & Rodgers, W. (2008). Factors influencing the adoption of an innovation: An examination of the uptake of the Canadian Heart Health Kit (HHK). Implementation Science, 3(1), 41.