Advances in Information and communication technology (ICT) have provided an avenue for healthcare facilities and professionals to improve patient outcomes and their efficiency and effectiveness. Primarily, technological advances have also facilitated the growth in informatics competencies of nurses as well as enhancing their capabilities in according safe and accurate patient care to patients from an informed perspective ( Rouleau et al., 2015) . As a result of the technological advancements witnessed in telecommunications, nursing professionals have to continuously engage in training programs to ensure that they are at par with the changing technologies and are better placed to apply these technologies in providing safe and effective healthcare services to patients.
This paper presents a proposal for the implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems in healthcare. In this paper, the EMR system will be described in brief in terms of benefits that accrue from its implementation. Moreover, this proposal will also illuminate the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EMR system and the technologies required to implement this informatics project and the expected improved outcomes. Finally, this proposal will identify the project team needed for the implementation of this project and provide an analysis of how the nurse informaticist will be incorporated into the project.
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Electronic Medical Records System
Electronic Medical Records system is an informatics system in which health care information of a patient is gathered, managed, and recorded electronically. EMR systems are credited with a myriad of benefits that healthcare professionals and facilities can derive from it. For instance, through EMR systems, health care professionals can provide accurate and better healthcare as a result of the up-to-date and accurate patient information that EMR systems provide ( Jawhari et al., 2016) . Besides, EMR systems offer an avenue through which storage and retrieval of patient data are made more accessible. Moreover, EMR systems reduce paperwork in recording patients' diagnosis history as well as providing a database helpful in availing primary data on diagnosis for researchers in healthcare.
Stakeholders in the Implementation of the Electronic Medical Records System
The success in the implementation of the EMR system is dependent on the inputs of several stakeholders. Stakeholders in the implementation process of EMRS are those individuals whose performance will be affected or those who provide information that is valuable in the implementation process. One of the key stakeholders, in this case, are the nurses. In practice, the EMR system will significantly impact on the operation of nurses. In this regard, their inputs must be considered before, during, and after EMR implementation to gauge its aptness.
The management of the healthcare facility is another stakeholder whose input is required in this process. Primarily, a buy-in by the management serves to ensure that the project will not only be receiving the requisite funding but also gain support, which will precipitate in its appreciation on all levels within the healthcare facility (Barrett, 2017). The healthcare facility’s marketing team is another key stakeholder in the implementation of the EMR system. The incorporation of the marketing team stems from the fact that this EMR system will have a feature such as appointment reminders, automatic scheduling, and an online patient portal which the marketing team has to be tuned with as it will aid in their promotion of this product. Besides, the marketing team may also offer crucial insights on possible substitutes to the proposed EMR system owing to their experience at the market place.
Patient-Care Efficiencies of EMRs
Research studies have pointed at Electronic medical records (EMRs) having a positive impact on patient care. The implementation of EMR at the healthcare facility is set to improve, and the work lives of family physicians. Besides, through EMR, execution is also set to improve patient safety through reduced medication errors and reduced unnecessary medical investigations (Manca, 2015). Lastly, through the implementation of EMR interactions and communication between patients and healthcare professionals is also set to improve precipitating in improved patient care (Jawhari et al., 2016). The capabilities of the EMR technology in providing information to healthcare providers in novel ways is a crucial attribute of the EMR system in facilitating the forenamed Patient-care efficiencies,
For instance, the EMR system will provide alerts and treatment goals to the healthcare professionals that will serve as reminders for medical interventions due, thereby improving the quality of care to patients. Additionally, the EMR system also provides healthcare professionals with resources and information that guides them towards the achievement of the best approach to counter the various conditions that they meet in their practice (King et al., 2014). Additionally, with the EMR system in place, healthcare professionals will have unlimited access to laboratory data, which in turn work to reduce duplication of research and its associated costs (Manca, 2015). The forenamed are a few examples of how the implementation of EMR will improve Patient-care efficiencies of EMRs.
Technology Required
Implementation of the EMR system at the facility will require the purchase of several pieces of equipment. For instance, the acquisition of tablets and laptops is essential as it will enhance the ability of healthcare professionals to access the EMR database. Secondly, the successful implementation of the EMR will also require the acquisition of a central server. The acquired server, in this case, will serve as the central database or all patient information (Evans, 2016). Lastly, it is paramount that printers sufficient to serve the whole facility are acquired to ease the need for printing patient information gathered from the central server by healthcare professionals at the facility.
Implementation Team and the Role of the Nurse Informaticist
For this project, the implementation team will include nurses, receptionists, physicians, medical assistants, administrative staff, and compliance staff. Primarily, the clinical staff named above will take center stage in ensuring that all members of the health facility are tuned to the use of the EMR system (Barrett, 2017). Additionally, the clinical members of this tea will also provide the implementation team with valuable feedback on the effectiveness and challenges faced in the application of the EMR system.
Other crucial members of the implementation team are the lead physician, project manager, and the nurse informaticist. The position taken by the lead physician, in this case, will be to guide members of the healthcare facility through the implementation process. In essence, the lead physician will serve as a linkage between the administrative, technical staff, and the front line users of the EMR system. The project manager for this project will work to ensure that all stakeholders are focused on implementing the EMR system as per the timelines set. Besides, the project manager will also be tasked with tracking the projects progress as well as managing the day-to-day issues during the implementation process (Barrett, 2017). Lastly, the nurse informaticist will play a vital role as he or she will be the in-house expert for the new EMR system (Anderson & Sensmeier, 2014). To this end, the nurse informaticist will be tasked with configuring EMR software, the creation of needed templates and order sets, and the development of standard operating procedures to deal with the emerging issues from the front-line EMS users.
References
Anderson, C., & Sensmeier, J. (2014). Nursing informatics. Nursing Management (Springhouse), 45 (6), 16–18. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.numa.0000449768.37489.ac
Barrett, A. K. (2017). Electronic health record (EHR) organizational change: Explaining resistance through profession, organizational experience, and EHR communication quality. Health Communication, 33 (4), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2016.1278506
Evans, R. S. (2016). Electronic health records: Then, now, and in the future. Yearbook of Medical Informatics , 25 (Suppl 1), S48–S61. https://doi.org/10.15265/IYS-2016-s006
Jawhari, B., Ludwick, D., Keenan, L., Zakus, D., & Hayward, R. (2016). Benefits and challenges of EMR implementations in low resource settings: A state-of-the-art review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making , 16 (1), 116. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-016-0354-8
King, J., Patel, V., Jamoom, E. W., & Furukawa, M. F. (2014). Clinical benefits of electronic health record use: National findings. Health Services Research , 49 (1 Pt 2), 392–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12135
Manca D. P. (2015). Do electronic medical records improve quality of care? Yes. Canadian Family Physician, 61 (10), 846–851.
Rouleau, G., Gagnon, M. P., & Côté, J. (2015). Impacts of information and communication technologies on nursing care: an overview of systematic reviews (protocol). Systematic Reviews , 4 , 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-015-0062-y
