Discussion: Safer Patient Environment

Discussion: Safer Patient Environment

NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:Discussion: Safer Patient Environment

Technology can provide a mechanism to improve care delivery and create a safer patient environment, provided it is implemented appropriately and considers the surrounding workflow. In an important article by Campbell, Guappone, Sittig, Dykstra, and Ash (2009 ), the authors suggested that technology implemented without consideration of workflow can provide greater patient safety concerns than no technology at all.  Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)  causes us to focus more specifically on workflow considerations. These workflow implications are referred to as the unintended consequences of CPOE implementation; they are just some of the effects of poorly implemented technology. The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society ( HIMSS, 2010 ) ME-PI Toolkit addressed workflow redesign and considered why it is so critical to successful technology implementations. Thompson, Kell, Shetty, and Banerjee ( 2016 ) stated “By partnering clinicians with informaticists we strove to leverage the power of the electronic medical record (EMR) to reduce heart failure readmissions and improve patient transitions back to the community” (p. 380). They concluded that “Partnering with clinical informatics enabled the multidisciplinary team to leverage the power of the EMR in supporting and tracking new clinical workflows that impact patient outcomes” (p. 380). This multidisciplinary team believed that their success could reshape how healthcare providers facilitate patient discharge and the transition home. Leveraging the multidisciplinary team and EMR could provide a model for patient-centered and cost-effective care that could extend beyond their patients with heart failure.

Technology is recognized to have a potentially positive effect on patient outcomes. Nevertheless, even with the promise of improving how care is delivered, adoption of technology has been slow. The cost of technology solutions such as CPOE,  barcode medication administration (BCMA) , and  electronic health records (EHRs)  remain staggeringly high. The cost of technology, coupled with the lengthy timelines required to develop and implement such technology, has put this endeavor out of reach for many healthcare organizations. In addition, upgrades or enhancements to the technology are often necessary either mid-implementation or shortly after a launch, leaving little time to focus efforts on the optimization of the technology within the current workflow.