Question

Americlinic, a national chain of budget health-care clinics, is creating an information system that will allow patients and doctors at participating franchises to communicate online. The goal of the system is to allow doctors to respond to minor health questions quickly and more efficiently, saving patients unnecessary visits to the clinic. This will be a major procedural change. What steps would you recommend to this company to ensure the user acceptance of the system?

Answer 1

Answer:-------------

The first step should be to conduct an organizational impact analysis, to determine the changes in procedures, job function, organizational structure, power relationships, and behavior that this system requires or will engender.
Any organizational changes should occur prior to implementing the system. In order to gain compliance and support of the doctors, I would establish a review committee of influential participating doctors and change agents to discuss the system prior to development and during development in order to meet physician needs and requirements.
I would also involve focus groups of intended users to review prototypes of the system to make sure it is easy to use, and hopefully easier to use in the relevant health situations than going to the doctor.
The company will need to make sure that there is also an option for users that do not have Internet access. User training for doctors and nurses will be essential. The company should also consider incentives for doctors and patients that use the system.