Challenges in Workflow Management in Nursing

Human Factors, Usability, and Workflow

The implementation of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) affects medication administration workflows: it has on impact on human factors, usability, and overall workflow, and the three major factors that influence outcomes in this scenario are 1) human factors and usability, 2) communication practices, and 3) workflow and how standards of care can vary.

The usability of the CPOE system is a factor that directly impacts how efficient and accurate nurses can be (Mogharbel et al., 2021). System issues can be anything from small print to too much scrolling and clicking, all of which can add up to exhaust nurses. Usability challenges can mean that too much time is spent on order entry. It means there are higher chances of errors, and that there is likely to be overall dissatisfaction with the system. Effective human-computer interaction principles should be applied to design user-friendly interfaces. This is what helps end-users and what helps to reduce the possibility of errors and improve workflow efficiency.

There is also a difference in communication between physicians and nurses (Donelan et al., 2020). With physicians there is a reduced need for verbal communication due to physicians entering their orders directly and this is what can lead to a breakdown in communication and collaboration. Direct order entry can streamline some processes, but it can also reduce the flow of information that occurs with face-to-face talks. This difference means there is a need for new communication strategies so that information is not lost and that collaboration remains effective.

Variations in workflow and standards of care are also factors that can create inconsistencies in medication administration (Mulac et al., 2021). The lack of alerts for new medication orders could be seen as a gap in the system's ability to support standardized care. Nurses could miss new orders, which would delay care. Workflow should be redesigned to bring in alerts and to standardize processes for delivery.