1) Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what informatics even
meant. I assumed it dealt with genes or something.
2) From an online Google search, I learned that informatics is
the science of processing data for storage and retrieval (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=informatics%20definition).
Informatics is also the study and application of information technology to the
arts, science and professions. In healthcare, according to David Blumenthal, “information
is the lifeblood of modern medicine. Health information technology (HIT) is
destined to be its circulatory system” (Sollecito & Johnson, 2013, p. 335).
Goals for the future of healthcare include designing HIT standards that include
precise data definitions for diagnoses/treatments, an architecture for
aggregating data for each patient over time and across providers, and protocols
for seamless communication among systems (Sollecito & Johnson, 2013, p.
336). Data access, comparability, transparency, and interoperability are needed
data system characteristics to ensure the successful future for HIT. Acts for meaningful use of electronic health
records (EHRs) have been passed in order to improve patient quality and safety
outcomes. Ensuring that EHRs in both hospital and office practice settings are
interoperable would be an example of “meaningful use”.
3) From our discussion, I learned the importance of ensuring
processes are firmly outlined when it comes to implementing and transitioning
to new electronic charting systems. Most all persons are resistant to change.
This makes it especially hard to implement new ideas/processes/goals in a
healthcare environment—because healthcare is constantly changing. Our
discussion focused on the fact that physicians/mid-levels in a healthcare
setting were noncompliant with the new CPOE charting system. As a team, we
discussed why this was so and how a QI team could analyze the process, redesign
it, and implement it. It seemed the answer would be found by interviewing the
physicians as to WHY they weren’t using the new system. We discussed the
possibility that the computer system was freezing, contained errors, was slow,
or was malfunctioning. Maybe the new system wasn’t meeting the needs of this
specific healthcare setting. This would lead to a mistrust in the system by
staff and create an immediate need for computer support personnel to fix the
problems. We decided that to prevent physician non-compliance with the new CPOE
system, a more detailed plan should have been implemented initially. A date of
transition would need to be set early on. This way staff could mentally prepare
for the change. Trainings on the new system and familiarizing oneself with it
would need to take place. Computer support personnel would need to be on-site
to answer questions and help users become comfortable with it. This way, they
too could see if the system was malfunctioning. A positive attitude and team
approach was the best way to ensure the change went as best it could. Lastly,
the QI team could analyze their process and determine better ways to go about
computer charting changes in the future.
4) I plan to be more positive about a change that will be
coming to Intermountain Healthcare here soon. They are changing over form HELP2
to a new iCentra computer charting system in April 2016. I am already excited
to learn about it and am trying to help my co-workers be more excited about it
too. When people are negative about it, I try to encourage them by stating that
“super users” will be on-site to help us get comfortable with the new system,
and hopefully it will be more efficient.
5) I enjoyed the material covered. I like how health
information is recorded and stored in computers these days—it makes finding and
storing information so much quicker and easier. I also like how the ARRA-HITECH
act was passed to contribute to health care improvement (Sollecito &
Johnson, 2013, p. 353). Increased interoperability and transparency among office
providers and hospitals will be difficult to do via one single computer system,
but remains the goal for now so information can be communicated to all
disciplines about patients. This will increase patient safety and improve continuity
of care (for example, an Emergency Department could look up information about a
patient that was transferred from a nursing home and vice versa).
Reference
Sollecito, W. A.,
& Johnson, J. K. (2013). Mclaughlin
and Kaluzny's continuous quality improvement in health care. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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