Question

Health Informatics- chapter 6 case study

The EHR is not fail-proof, and human error is an issue. Discuss potential decision support tools and functionality that could be implemented to increase patient safety.

Case study A large healthcare enterprise in the Mid- Atlantic region that was created by a merger owns two acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation center an outpatient surgical center, and three long-term care facilities. Each of these institutions uses a different EMR system. Admitting privileges extend to 550 physicians, who have office systems that interface with at least one of the acute Care EMR systems. The vision is to create an environment to support communication, care coordination, and data sharing across the organization in preparation for a regional EHR system. The organization is moving quickly to take advantage of the incentives offered by the government and meet mandatory requirements. Executives decided to focus on the acute care facilities first and use lessons leamed there to integrate the other centers Later. Hospital A uses certified EHR applications and has implemented ancillary systems, CPOE, and dinical documentation, whereas Hospital B has a highly customized, beloved old mainframe computer that is outdated and no longer supported by the vendor. Instead of selecting a new system for both hospitals, the software programs used in Hospital A are being implemented in Hospital B has a highly customized, beloved old mainframe computer that is outdated and no longer supported by the vendor. Instead of selecting a new system for both hospitals, the software programs used in Hospital A are being implemented in Hospital Discussion Questions 1. You are the vice president of Patient Care Services for both acute care hospitals. Who would you identify as stakeholders in the implementation and why? What steps would you take to minimize user resistance? 2. According to the US. EMR Adoption Model, at what stage of implementation would you classify Hospital A? After both hospitals are using the same system, what would you recommend implementing next? 3. The EHR is not fail-proof, and human error is an issue Discuss potential decision support tools and

Answer 1

3. The electronic health record is a computerized form of recording and communicating health information which simplifies the workflow of health professionals but has many issues with the functional operating system. Some of the issues that met by the health professional are a mismatch of workflow from the clinical workflow, interruption, and distraction of professionals leads to increase medical error. EHR leads to safety hazards in case of copy and pastes, use of multiple tabs at a time, misuse passwords by others, technological issues all contribute to increased safety hazards. Theses can be rectified in order to improve patient safety.

• Use of functional suitability software to improve clinical workflow.
• Form an alert system to improve data coding, data capability.
• Stakeholders should comply with IT professionals to get an appropriate EHR design.
• Software function must avoid the opening of multiple records or use of multiple users at a time.
• Easy understanding and accessibility of information to avoid errors in clinical decision making.
• Interoperability system and network should be accurate to avoid interruptions during entry.
• Training and education of professionals for the proper use and transmission of health information.
• Frequent change of passwords to avoid misuse by third parties.