New Information System Practicum Project Plan

Practicum Project Plan: New Information System Based On the Need to Enhance the Speed of Documentation and Patient Charting At the Health Facility
Introduction
The relevance of informatics in seeking to address provider and patient needs while at the same time further enhancing not only the quality, but also the safety of the clinical environment, cannot be overstated in the contemporary information-sensitive healthcare industry. This paper seeks to present a Practicum Project Plan proposal on new information systems utilized in a healthcare organization. In so doing, the need to enhance documentation speed as well as patient charting has been identified.
Goal Statement
With documentation being a critical nursing informatics feature, clinical documentation improvement seeks to enhance the proper and accurate capturing of patient encounters. The overall goal of this project is to suggest and advance the case for the new information system founded on the need to promote the speed of documentation and patient charting at the healthcare facility. More specifically, this undertaking will be focused on increasing the information system’s efficiency, the further enhancement of the security as well as safety of the databases, and ensuring that data sharing within the facility is eased.
Project Objectives
In essence, project objectives ought to be “specific and measurable, and must meet time, budget, and quality constraints” (Shirley, 2016, p. 132). The first objective will be the highlighting of information pertinent to the accomplishment of this project’s goal. The second objective will be the application of the pertinent information in the formulation of the new information system. The third objective with be the assessment as well as evaluation of the effectiveness of the new information system, with the overriding interest being the impact on the speed of documentation and patient charting at the health facility. Continuous assessment of the new information system will be prioritized with an aim of revising the relevant processes so as to attain the desired outcomes.
Evidence-Based Review of the Literature for Project Justification
Healthcare information systems have been defined variously in the past (Jacko, 2007). This is to say that no standard definition of the same exists. However, the more applicable definition of healthcare information systems as per the present Practicum Project Plan will be “the application of information processing involving both computer hardware and software that deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information, data, and knowledge for communication and decision making” (Jacko, 2007, p. 550). Numerous studies have indicated that the implementation of healthcare information systems comes in handy in not only the enhancement of legibility, but also in the reduction medical errors. In turn, this helps in the reduction of costs and the overall improvement of the equality of healthcare.
In the words of Wager, Lee and Glaser (2013), health information systems could comprise “of a wide range of networking technologies, clinical databases, electronic medical/health records, and other specific biomedical, administrative and financial technologies that generate, transmit and store healthcare information” (84). In basic terms, today’s healthcare industry is regarded more information-sensitive than was the case a few decades ago. Towards this end, informatics have become a critical component of the system in seeking to address patient and provider needs, while at the same time further enhancing the safety as well as quality of the clinical environment. Alotaibi and Federico are in agreement. In reference to clinical decision support, the authors are of the opinion that thanks to informatics, professionals in healthcare settings have better access to patient-specific information (Alotaibi and Federico, 2017). Essentially, better access to such information is of great relevance in the further enhancement of the decision making capabilities of healthcare professionals – specifically with regard to the rational filtering and appropriate presentation of needed information. Clinical decision support, according to the authors, is inclusive of a wide “range of tools to enhance decision-making and the clinical workflow” (Alotaibi and Federico, 2017).
It is important to note that in reference to healthcare informatics and documentation, there are various trends that have been witnessed within the last few decades in the healthcare industry. This is particularly the case when it comes to the advancement from paper-based systems to computer-based systems. As a consequence, healthcare information systems have effectively led to enhanced efficiency in both data processing and storage. A significant amount of time is spent by clinicians in the provision of direct care to patients. With this in mind, it could be argued that the enhancement of the speed of documentation and patient charting could be of immense benefit in the further enhancement of the quality of care advanced. This is more so the case given that the “provision of care requires the documentation of clinical information as an intrinsic aspect of routine clinical activity and is essential from both professional and legal standpoints” (Shirley, 2016, p. 212).
Methodology
The following approach will be utilized in the accomplishment of project objectives. The first objective: highlighting of information pertinent to the accomplishment of this project’s goal, will be implemented during the initial phases of the practicum. On this front, there will be the adoption of two qualitative data collection approaches at the healthcare facility with an aim of investigating and prospecting for the relevant data. The two data collection approaches are interviews and observation. The second objective, i.e. the application of the pertinent information in the formulation of the new information system, will take into consideration the relevant technical as well as organizational factors. These include, but they are not limited to, financial resources, technical infrastructure, and organizational culture and structure. These will be of great essence given the complexities involved in the hospital-wide implementation of the new information system. The third objective, i.e. the assessment as well as evaluation of the effectiveness of the new information system (with the overriding interest being the impact on the speed of documentation and patient charting), will be focused on the relevant operational factors so as to gather greater insight into systematic performance in various contexts and under several intervening elements.
Resources
Various resources have been identified for this project. These include: IT trainers; project management office; networking, security and infrastructure; help desk and support, ambulatory and inpatient divisions and subsections. The facility’s organizational chart will be consulted, with the specific areas or interest being strategic leadership, clinical operations, and clinical liaisons. Comprehensive review of the relevant literature and case studies will be undertaken with a aim of gaining insight on the most relevant concerns.
Formative Evaluation
Formative evaluation will consist of responses and recommendations from those who interact with the new information system. This will be a weekly undertaking during the entire course of the practicum. Continuous improvement efforts will be undertaken on the basis of the recommendations and responses.

Summative Evaluation
The summative evaluation will be conducted once – upon project completion. The goal in this case will be to determine whether the overall mandate of the project was accomplished. Towards this end, an overall audit of the impact of the new information system on the speed of documentation and patient charting will be undertaken and results shared with the relevant project stakeholders.
Timeline
Please refer to the appendices section for a more detailed description. In summary, week 3 and 4 will consist of highlighting information pertinent to the accomplishment of this project’s goal. The application of the pertinent information in the formulation of the new information system will take place during weeks 5, 6 and 7. Lastly, the assessment/evaluation of the effectiveness of the new information system will take place during week 8.
References
Alotaibi, Y. & Federico, F. (2017). The Impact of Health Information Technology on Patient Safety. Saudi Med J, 38(12), 1173-1180.
Jacko, J.A. (Ed.). (2007). Human-Computer Interaction. HCI Applications and Services. New York, NY: Springer.
Shirley, D. (2016). Project Management for Healthcare. New York, NY: CRC Press.
Wager, K.A., Lee, F.W. & Glaser, J.P. (2013). Health Care Information Systems: A Practical Approach for Health Care Management (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.