Professional Portfolio
Running head: INFORMATICS 0
Design Considerations and Workarounds
Student’s Name
Walden University
NURS 6401 – 01 Informatics in Nursing and Healthcare
Date
Design Considerations and Workarounds
We are currently in a significant evolution in the process of gathering data, acquiring information and also increasing our overall knowledge concerning the best approaches to providing the patients with safe and quality care. Without information technology in the healthcare industry, it would become a challenge in the process of delivering high-quality care. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the design considerations that play a part in the whole process of development of appropriate technology that can be utilized in a health institution. Also, the importance and the consequences involved in workarounds will also be discussed.
Design Considerations
Software Factors
The first consideration involves ensuring that the entire management comprehends when they are implementing particular application into their system. Whenever an organization implements a particular type of technology, there is always a reason why the organization is implementing this technology. A health institution might want to improve their overall efficiency of their business-related procedures through gaining the ability to concentrate more on the related business process and not the management process of the software. Also, bidirectional view feed cameras are some of the components that a health institution must utilize especially in the process of considering both hardware and software factors. The hospital will gain the ability to assist patients immediately while reducing the costs of acute care admission (Saba, and McCormick, 2015).
In the process of choosing technologies, another consideration must be an assessment of the necessary technologies needed. When making decisions concerning suitable applications, the important factors to consider are mainly the type of application being developed and the preferred options for the application employment and architectural framework. For a health organization, the choice of technologies will be governed by the health policies of the enterprise, the limitations of the infrastructure and also the available resource skills. Comparisons must also be made regarding the capabilities of the technologies the firm chooses against the application requirements while also considering each of these factors before taking the decision.
Hardware factors
In the process of making considerations involving the hardware needed, the firm must note down exactly what is necessary that will assist them in the achievement of the objective of implementing the hardware. Since the organization knows the reasons behind the implementation of the hardware, they can then discover what is necessary to accomplish this purpose. The organization must answer exactly the hardware applications appropriate for the institution and also exactly the characteristics that the application must have to achieve the objectives of health information. Saba, and McCormick, (2015) stated that another hardware factor should be the service level agreement since this document is important because it will clearly define the specifics of the hardware provided by the vendor. This document is important since it acts as an assurance that of the system fails to deliver the expectations agreed, then institution can be compensated for any damages caused to their entire information architecture. However, to avoid such occurrences, a business must ensure that they are acquiring exactly what they need and have paid for.
Human Factors
The organization must also make considerations concerning the level of support needed by their information technology professions and also the expectations of their software and hardware system. During implementation of both the hardware and software application, the organization must ensure that the qualified professionals can handle the entire system efficiently. Another important human factor is the training of the staff. One implementation of the application has been completed; a health institution must train their workforce on the process of accessing the new software and hardware applications and also how to utilize these applications during the initial setup phase. Training on how to use these applications will enhance the quality of services given to their clients and also information management will be improved on all levels of the enterprise (Preheim, Armstrong, and Barton, 2009).
Paying Close Attention
Professionals in informatics must pay close attention to every consideration because through becoming aware and making these considerations; they can effectively use information technology in a spectrum that improves the safety, efficiency and quality of health care. This must be delivered with a combined and also profound role that warrants the immediate attention of Informatics (QSEN, 2012). Individuals that handle information system especially in the health sector have a responsibility to develop systems that would enhance safer patient care and also act as support for the work of managers, leaders and employees through elevating Information Technology. Competency in clinical information technology is a critical foundation instrument for leadership practice of managers.
Potential Dangers
The potential hazards from not ensuring that the hardware n software applications are necessary there will raise interoperability issues within the information systems. This process will be hindered since there is no structure to implement information technology within n enterprise. As a result, there would be a fall in the accuracy of data and also patient safety since this electronic health records might have some issues concerning the medical history of the patient and also the relevant information regarding their medication (Preheim, Armstrong, and Barton, 2009). Also, other dangers relating to human factors include lack of competencies in the implementation of the informatics. The nurses within these health institutions might not have the proper knowledge on how to utilize these applications such as the process of entering data, processing information that might save the life of a patient.
Data integrity will also not be maintained since considerations have not been made concerning the qualifications of the personnel. Data integrity can, therefore, be compromised through the incorrect entry, tampering with the available data and also failures in the system. Applications such as an electronic data capture are highly useful for the collection of clinical data in an electronic format to utilize in human clinical trials (Laureate Education, Inc, 2012h). The professionals might have the ability to train the personnel to use these applications. Through training, the application will replace the traditional paper-based data collection procedures and therefore, streamline the entire data collection process and also decrease the time spent on market or medical devices and drugs
Employee Workarounds
Benefits and Consequences of Employee Workarounds
Workarounds refer to nonstandard methods utilized for the accomplishment of work that is blocked by dysfunctional processes. A healthcare institution has a work around a culture that values expertise in the course of overcoming challenges to ensure that work is completed on time. Workarounds are an important part of the healthcare culture since they offer several benefits. This procedure is a source of resilience for any health institution. The organization acquires the ability to improvise with materials at hand in the development of a solution to an unexpected obstacle or scenario (Laureate Education, Inc, 2012a). Resilience for any health care enterprise allows patient care to be delivered in a safe manner despite the various challenges. Workarounds specifically benefit the current patient of the health profession that receives the necessary care. This entire process can be highly satisfying to individual caregivers which reinforce the positive element of workarounds. Workarounds also allow individuals to finish various tasks without interrupting other personnel that might be called upon to rectify the situation. Finally, some employees develop workarounds that are highly superior to the existing health procedures. If the health organization can spread this improved practice to every department, the overall performance would be enhanced significantly. Workarounds are typically viewed in a positive light as highly creative and patient-centered care both by the managers and care providers in the health sector
However, there are numerous unintended negative consequences associated with workarounds. Some healthcare professionals usually work around the immediate situation, without adequately engaging the necessary additional steps in prevention of reoccurrence. This behavioral pattern is referred to as the first order problem solving. On a short term basis, this seems highly successful since patient care is provided and continuous. However, there emerges a lack of communication which becomes problematic as it hinders actual improvement from occurring for several reasons (Laureate Education, Inc, 2012a).
First, these workarounds only transfer the problem to another point such as when a department hoarded equipment secretly to another department; this might cause shortages in other important locations of the hospital. Secondly, the lack of communication concerning failures keeps relevant personnel and managers aware of the necessity for change and therefore, the challenges are not adequately investigated. This process will, therefore, hinder the operation of finding out and removing the underlying causes of the entire problem. Also, similar obstacles will likely reemerge. For example, staff members may repeat workaround safety-related warnings to acquire and administer massive doses of medications rather than gaining the proper information from the pharmacist or the physician of the patient. Finally, when the workaround is entirely superior to the current practice standard, there emerges a lack of discussion concerning the critical need for change as it limits its diffusion.
Importance of Workarounds
Workarounds are sometimes necessary especially when done right. The primary challenge of workarounds is the process of capturing their positive elements such as creativity ad resiliency while effectively avoiding various pitfalls from the process of overreliance on ad-hoc solutions to important long-standing issues. A health institution must, therefore, solve this problem if they expect to deliver care as efficiently and safely as possible. An organization makes shift from a workaround culture to a culture that utilizes various operational failures as meaningful opportunities for learning and enhancement of their systems (HIMS, 2015). The managers can inspire the employees to go beyond the first-order problem solving by taking the necessary action in the prevention of reoccurrence of the obstacle. These behaviors that can be instilled into the personnel refer to second order problem solving. They will include communicating about the challenges to people that can remove these underlying causes and suggest effective countermeasures. The second order problem solving is critical for lasting improvement (HIMS, 2015). Second-order problem solving is necessary as it requires co-workers and the managers to change their perceptions of the behaviors that they conceive beneficially. The managers must also actively seek out and appreciate the information provided
Conclusion
In summary, design considerations play a vital part in the whole process of development of appropriate technology utilized in a health institution. Information technology is essential in the modern nursing and healthcare industry. It helps in the process of gathering data, acquiring information and also increasing our overall knowledge concerning the best approaches to providing the patients with safe and quality care. Design considerations will include human, software and hardware factors. Employee workarounds will involve nonstandard methods utilized for the accomplishment of work that is blocked by dysfunctional processes.
References
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. (2015). Informatics competencies for every practicing nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER Collaborative. Retrieved from http://www.thetigerinitiative.org/docs/TigerReport_InformaticsCompetencies.pdf
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012a). Competencies for nurse informaticists. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012h). Selecting new technologies. Baltimore: Author.
Preheim, G. J., Armstrong, G. E., & Barton, A. J. (2009). The new fundamentals in nursing: Introducing beginning quality and safety education for nurses' competencies. The Journal of Nursing Education, 48(12), 694–697.
Quality and Safety Education for Nurses. (2012). Informatics. Retrieved from: http://qsen.org/competencies/graduate-ksas/#informatics
Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
