Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Information Technology

1101 Words3 Pages

Adoption of New Technology Systems

Presently there are many advancements taking place in healthcare within the information technology arena, which are helping to bring about a safer, more streamlined health care environment. These IT advancements are improving the quality of care, and decreasing costs. Unfortunately, there are many challenges healthcare facilities face concerning the implementation of EHRs. There must be specific strategies employed by an organization to address these issues to enable a smooth transition toward these EHR initiatives.

The following is an analysis of the roles nurses must play as proponents of change in the successful adoption of the latest Information technology. You will see examples of how nurse leaders can ensure an efficacious transition toward promoting adaptation of EHR systems. In this assignment, I will be referencing the Diffusion of Innovations theory developed by the professor of rural sociology, Everett Rogers, in 1962.

Adopting New Technology: The Nurse’s Role as Proponent of change

For a significant percentage of the workforce, change is uncomfortable and unsettling. Just when one thinks they have it all figured out, management deems it necessary to disrupt the current workflow to make way for change. Many in the workforce have a difficult time seeing the advantages of change. Resistance to change is to be expected, but organizations can soften the blow by involving stakeholders early, even before the change process begins.

The change process must begin by introducing the role of change proponents and nurse facilitators. These individuals must show true enthusiasm for the initiative, assure peers of their commitment, and possess the ability to respond to the nee...

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...cation, self-directed practice, super-users and parallel workflow can all help in the preparation process so that when the system goes live, nurses are relatively comfortable and don’t need to take 10 steps back” (Schwartz, 2012, p. 3).

When nurses are proponents of change and modernization and committed to playing an active role in the implementation of their organization’s new EHR system, high adoption rates are attainable. Nurses are an essential part of the team and play a crucial role at all stages of the systems development life cycle.

References

Fickenscher, K., & Bakerman, M. (2011). Change management in health care IT. Physician Executive, 37(2) , 64-67.

Mooney, B., & Boyle, A. (2011). 10 steps to successful EHR implementation. Medical Economics, 88(9) , 4-11.

Schwartz, A. (2012). Nurses adopt electronic health records. Science of Caring , 1-7.

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