NURS FPX 6416 Assessment 2 Technology Needs Assessment Summary and Implementation Plan

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 6416 Managing the Nursing Informatics Life Cycle

Prof. Name

Date

Executive Summary

Current Informatics Structure in the Organization 

The current informatics hierarchy operating in our organization is based on four different roles: chief information officer (CIO), IT department, data and analytics team, and nursing informatics team. The CIO is primarily responsible for overseeing the organization’s information technology and informatics strategy. The IT department is responsible for running the organization’s technological infrastructure and ensuring data security. While the data analytics team is responsible for collecting, managing, analyzing, and gaining insights from data, nursing informaticians focus on managing and optimizing the health records system within the organization, ensuring the system complies with healthcare regulations. 

Recommendations for Implementation

The critical recommendations while moving ahead to complete the project successfully are to ensure that the informatics team has skilled professionals and experts in performing data management, system integration, and cybersecurity.

Moreover, it is recommended to gather the influential personalities (department heads, healthcare providers (nurses and clinicians), IT specialists, and administrators) within the organization as project champions so that they can advocate and persuade the team for the change implementation. Other support recommended for the implementation is the availability of adequate human and financial resources, the implementation plan should be well-documented, goals and objectives must be communicated, training and education should be a primary focus, and continuous monitoring is essential to address potential challenges. 

Current Information System and Recommended Change 

Currently, our organization is utilizing a paper-based manual health information system (HIS), which is working well because healthcare providers are familiar with its utilization, the system is free of technical issues, the system is efficient for collecting data for quality monitoring processes (Muinga et al., 2021), and has minimum upfront costs associated with it. However, the system also has negatives, such as resource intensive, limited accessibility, and lack of interoperability, which is an essential component to augment quality of care and lessen the wastage of resources (Torab-Miandoab et al., 2023).

The change recommended by the stakeholders is integrating electronic health records (EHR) systems in the organization. Healthcare organizations are transitioning to electronic information systems because of their assistance in streamlining the workflow, reducing medical errors, and improving care coordination, eventually delivering high-quality care to patients (Upadhyay et al., 2019). It is also a cost-effective system that helps minimize errors, ultimately reducing costs for the patients and the healthcare settings  (Uslu & Stausberg, 2021). The criteria to evaluate the implementation plan should be its alignment with organizational goals, user-friendly and focus on training, adherence to the allocated budget, and a sustainability plan to ensure it is appropriate for the implementation.  

Patients’ Safety and Health Care Outcomes

The predicted patient safety and healthcare outcomes of implementing an EHR system are rooted in enriched data accuracy, improved availability, and enhanced care coordination. These systems help reduce errors linked with handwritten records, enhance data sharing, and provide real-time clinical decision support, ultimately preserving patient safety (Vos et al., 2020). Besides, a single platform for all health records improves care coordination among healthcare providers, eventually leading to non-fragmented care, minimizes communication gaps, and improves health outcomes. These benefits are based on evidence-based information that enhances patient safety by curtailing adverse events and bettering healthcare outcomes through informed decision-making. 

References

Muinga, N., Abejirinde, I.-O. O., Paton, C., English, M., & Zweekhorst, M. (2021). Designing paper‐based records to improve the quality of nursing documentation in hospitals: A scoping review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(1–2), 56. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15545 

Torab-Miandoab, A., Samad-Soltani, T., Jodati, A., & Rezaei-Hachesu, P. (2023). Interoperability of heterogeneous health information systems: A systematic literature review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 23(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02115-5

NURS FPX 6416 Assessment 2 Technology Needs Assessment Summary and Implementation Plan

Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2022). A qualitative analysis of the impact of electronic health records (Ehr) on healthcare quality and safety: Clinicians’ lived experiences. Health Services Insights, 15, 117863292110707. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329211070722 

Uslu, A., & Stausberg, J. (2021). Value of the Electronic Medical Record for Hospital Care: Update From the Literature. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(12). https://doi.org/10.2196/26323 

Vos, J. F. J., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 676. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05542-6 

Implementation Plan 

Goals	Milestones	Processes	Steps	Timeline	Responsible Parties
Goal 1: Successfully implement the EHR system to increase the effectiveness and precision of patient records management.	Milestone 1: Select and initiate an agreement with the EHR vendor.	Process 1: Develop vendor selection criteria.	Step 1: Identify critical stakeholders and gather their input on EHR-related organizational requirements.	1-2 weeks	Project Champions (administrators, department heads, finance leads, and IT specialists).
			Step 2: Develop vendor selection criteria based on critical requirements and identify specific vendors.	2-3 weeks
		Process 2: Issue vendor proposal requests and evaluate responses.	Step 1: Develop a proposal that clearly outlines the organization’s EHR requirements and get the proposal approved by administrators.	1-2 weeks.
			Step 2: Evaluate vendor responses based on the criteria developed.	3-4 weeks (varies according to vendors’ response time).
	Milestone 2: Conduct EHR system configuration and migrate data from the current HIS.	Process 1: Configure the EHR system to meet the organization’s needs.	Step 1: Develop a system configuration plan based on the organization’s desired workflows and user needs.	2-3 weeks	Informatics team (nursing informatics, IT department, CIO, data analytics team) and project champions.
			Step 2: Configure the EHR system according to the plan.	2- 3 weeks
		Process 2: Migrate health information (patient and health practice data) from the manual records system to the new EHR system.	Step 1: Develop a data migration plan that outlines the data to be migrated and the timeline for migration:	1-2 weeks.
			Step 2: Migrate the data from the manual records system to the EHR system according to the plan.	3- 4 weeks
Goal 2: Train staff on the new EHR system and ensure a seamless transition.	Milestone 1: Develop and deliver EHR system training to all users.	Process 1: Develop a training plan outlining the training objectives and the delivery methods.	Step 1: Conduct a needs assessment to identify training needs among the users.	1-2 weeks	Healthcare trainers, heads of departments, nursing leads, and physician leads.
			Step 2: Establish and arrange training materials and resources.	2-3 weeks
		Process 2: Deliver EHR system training to all staff.	Step 1: Deliver training using a variety of methods. Include instructor-led training along with online courses. CPE credits will be provided to the staff for motivation.	4-5 weeks
			Step 2: Provide ongoing support and handy guidelines to staff as required.	Ongoing.
	Milestone 2: Implement an EHR system.	Process 1: Develop a plan outlining the steps in transitioning to the new EHR system.	Step 1: Develop a communication plan for users (staff and patients) to understand and go through the transition process seamlessly.	1-2 weeks	Head of departments, nursing and physician leads, IT specialists, nursing informatics, healthcare providers, and quality assurance department.
			Step 2: Develop a contingency plan to address unforeseen challenges during the transition phase.	1-2 weeks
		Process 2: Execute the EHR system.	Step 1: Actualize the new EHR system according to the implementation and transition plan.	1-2 weeks
			Step 2: Monitor the transition phase and support staff as needed. Evaluate the outcomes and make improvements accordingly.	Ongoing.

NURS FPX 6416 Assessment 2 Technology Needs Assessment Summary and Implementation Plan