Nursing Adoption of EHR Technology Systems

Approach Outline for the Meeting with Nurses
Undercurrent of resistance expressed by nurses is understandable and these concerns will be addressed fully before the implementation of EHR. Nurses posed several reasons for resisting this new change; however, most of these reasons derive from lack of EHR system misunderstanding and how it functions. Nurses assumed that the EHR implementation would give rise to communication issues as well as lower productivity amid nursing staff. During the training stage, the nurses will be shown how the EHR system will complement their existing workflow and values and how a little effort in training and understanding this EHR system will ease out their practice considerably (Wayne, 2016).
Nurses will assured that they will be involved throughout the planning stage of the implementation so that they get the chance to test the new EHR system. Additionally, involving nurses in the planning stage will ensure that productivity and workflow problems can be eradicated completely before implementation of the new system. Moreover, by considering nurses as vital stakeholders in the planning stage, they can be trained to a point where consistency can be seen in patient information interpretation. This is critical, as studies have shown that lack of training can lead to recording EHR data differently, which led to misunderstanding, time wastage and poor quality patient interaction (Wayne, 2016).
Another critical issue is the clash between veteran nurses and newly/recently hired nurses. This clash is evident as nursing curriculum has been updated to include EHR and as a result recent graduates are more familiar with EHR usage as opposed to veteran nurses. Moreover, nurses may look for shortcuts, workable templates and workarounds as opposed to fully understanding the EHR system. Work culture can therefore have a negative impact if nurses are not exposed to high quality training (Wayne, 2016).
Therefore, nurses will be assured that the team responsible for implementing the new EHR system is looking as much towards staff literacy and competency as it is towards technology aspect of the system. The benchmarks for success will include tangible indicators and training sessions will involve practical exercises that complement their existing workflow and practice (Wayne, 2016).
The role of nurses as change agents in facilitating the adoption of new technology
Nurses perform a number of roles and functions and are involved in all aspects of healthcare. Therefore, they are the key agents of change in facilitating the adoption of new technology. The variety of roles that a nurse works in includes executive, management, clinical settings, informatics, data entry etc. Almost all these roles are complementary and therefore nurses should be involved in the not just the training but also selection, planning, advancement, execution, assessment and modifications of EHR systems (Daly, 2015).
Moreover, given that nurses exist at all levels of the organizations, therefore, their involvement becomes critical to the successful adoption of any new system or technology. Nurses have a patient centered vision of their own and the adoption of any new technology should complement that vision and help in its realization. Nurses need to be clear about how the new system will positively affect the workflow and patient care and how much effort will be needed to implement this new technology into their daily practice. As for the adoption of a new EHR system, nurses can get involved in the following stages (Daly, 2015):
· Selection of EHR system
· Designing and Development of the EHR system
· Testing the EHR system for efficiency and ease
· Training all those who will be involved in using this system
· Taking the system “live” and monitoring change in nursing practice
· Maintaining the system and being prepared for modifications of the same
Given the variety of roles and functions of a nurse in a healthcare setting, they are key agents of change and adoption of any new system and technology. Therefore, their involvement is critical in the successful designing, planning and execution of any EHR system (Daly, 2015).
Additional insights based on readings and evidence
An effective EHR execution ensures that both nurses and physicians are comfortable using it. Successful EHR system should allow the nurses to assist the physicians in successful EHR integration in their daily practice and workflow. Previously, medical committees were created that would lead the selection, planning and execution of EHR systems. These committees neither had any nursing representatives nor were they involved with the nursing staff to gain their insights. This is what caused widespread failure of the EHR system implementation (Continuum, 2017).
Majority of the nursing staff understand the HIPAA security benchmarks and therefore are in the best place to recommend EHR security measures that need to be implemented. Moreover, opinion of nurses should also be taken into consideration when deciding what data should be recorded about the patients and the type of notes that should be taken. Including the nurses in the training sessions will allow them to easily adopt the new EHR system. Moreover, they can test run the system and modify their workflow accordingly and also recommend changes to the EHR system. Positive results are shown when nursing participation are expanded and their insights are included into workflow procedures such as where examination rooms ought to be located, modernizing previous medical records, logging of all incoming and outgoing phone calls, along with charting processes of all nursing practices including blood pressure checks, injections, as well as wound dressings (Continuum, 2017).




References
Wayne, T. (2016). Nurses Vs. EHRs: Why Nurses Need to Be Included In EHR Planning. Retrieved from: https://blog.capterra.com/nurses-vs-ehrs-why-nurses-need-to-be-included-in-ehr-planning/
Daly, P. (2015). Clinical nurses lead the charge with HER. Retrieved from: http://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2015/10000/Clinical_nurses_lead_the_charge_with_EHR.8.aspx
Continuum. (2017). What Role Should Nurses Play In EHR Implementation? Retrieved from: http://www.carecloud.com/continuum/what-role-should-nurses-play-in-ehr-implementation/