NURS FPX 8012 Assessment 5 Quality Improvement Project Plan
Student Name Capella University NURS-FPX 8012 Nursing Technology and Health Care Information Systems Prof. Name Date Introduction Problem Allen Medical Clinic is dedicated to providing quality patient care, but its inefficient and outdated infrastructure hampers the effectiveness of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system in the clinic. This inefficiency in the EHR system disrupts clinical workflows due to inadequate staff training. Moreover, the ineffective EHR system fails to secure patient data in digital databases and overlooks confidentiality and privacy regulations. Stakeholders play a crucial role in improving the organization’s performance. The inefficient EHR system affects IT, executive leaders, clinical staff, and finance departments. Data breaches compromise patient satisfaction in healthcare settings, leading to a decrease in patient volume and affecting the organization’s financial status. It also contributes to burnout among clinical and administrative staff, further impacting the organization’s performance. Poor EHR systems can have various repercussions, and stakeholders collaborate to address the identified risks (Kaihlanen et al., 2020). The EHR system can result in clinical errors such as medication mistakes, incorrect diagnoses, and treatment plans that reduce health outcomes, as evidenced by the Jump data assigning Allen Clinic a Grade “C” in this regard (Jump Clinic Security Grade, 2019). Furthermore, breaches of patient health information due to poorly designed EHR systems lead to severe consequences for the healthcare organization, potentially facing legal action. Poorly maintained EHR systems may also frequently experience downtime, causing setbacks for patient care that result in negative patient outcomes, as indicated by Federal healthcare comparison. Compared to other hospitals in the same area, such as Sartori Dedication Hospital (SDH) and Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center (MWMC), Allen Clinic showed a 3-star patient review rating, reflecting increased accountability for healthcare professionals and healthcare costs due to the lower standard of care provided to patients (Federal healthcare., 2023). Proposed Solution The vision is to enhance patient health outcomes for financial success at Allen Hospital. The proposed solution is to implement the latest technology, such as an advanced EHR system, to improve healthcare setting interoperability. Educational training will be provided to personnel on EHR usage to implement the solution. Additionally, financial resources will be required to integrate the latest software, such as Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and Patient ID system (Beauvais et al., 2020). Planning material and financial resources are necessary to implement the proposed solution in the healthcare setting. An Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is used in healthcare settings to collect, store, retrieve, and analyze patient data. Healthcare professionals should use EHRs properly to enhance the standard and safety of patient care (Gariépy-Saper et al., 2021). To develop and integrate electronic health records, EHRs function as an informatics solution and rely on a combination of networking, software, and hardware technologies. EHRs aim to increase the quality and safety of patient care by providing authorized healthcare providers with comprehensive patient health information. Additionally, they enable data analysis to enhance population health and support care coordination among various providers and patients (Vos et al., 2020). EHR adoption and effective use improve interoperability, data security, and privacy in healthcare settings. Measuring and Monitoring Three Data Points of Interest EHR Implementation Issues and Challenges The potential of various software programs to exchange data and enhance interoperability is challenging as different departments use different standards in the healthcare organization. Data security and confidentiality are crucial, so improving interoperability through upgraded EHR requires collaboration between stakeholders to ensure patient data remains secure during transition (Li et al., 2021). This can be achieved through proper communication channels between departments. The use of telehealth will also be beneficial in the secure dissemination of information between healthcare providers. Financial resources will be needed to implement the new informatics in the healthcare organization (Shaw et al., 2020). Implementing informatics technology may raise ethical issues if data privacy is breached due to cyberattacks. The breach of patient privacy gives the patient the right to file a lawsuit against the physician and organization (Seh et al., 2020). To overcome this issue, the healthcare setting can use two-factor authentication to safeguard patient health information. Only authorized users access patient data by using a specific PIN or password (Xiang et al., 2021). Similarly, the nurse’s code of ethics will be imparted to the staff, enabling them to safeguard patient information by adhering to the HIPAA rules in the organization. A skilled workforce is needed to operate the EHR system to achieve better patient outcomes. Accurate and up-to-date patient information is needed to make clinical decisions. Integrating Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) into the organization will be beneficial for positive outcomes. It improves the real-time workflows of the organization and helps healthcare professionals protect patient data under HIPAA rules (Muhiyaddin et al., 2020). Thus, CDSS and EHR integration require human resources, which will be challenging in implementing informatics. Staff educational training and practical sessions will enhance their effectiveness in using the EHR system and the clinical problem-solving skills of healthcare professionals, thereby increasing patient health outcomes. Role of the Leaders in Change Strategy Leaders guide the team to implement change strategies within an organization that bring positive results. Leaders define the vision for all stakeholders and empower them to work for the organization’s common vision (Frechette, 2019). The change management strategy is comprehensive, encompassing identifying risks and working towards a process to bring positive results. Leaders communicate with stakeholders and create an effective plan by considering the existing resources and devising a strategy. The leader can use the Lewin Change model to enhance the organization’s healthcare industry performance. The three stages of this management change are freeze, change, and refreeze (Rwafa-Ponela et al., 2020). Under these three stages of the model, the leader addresses the need for change and helps the organization accept the new processes to bring positive results (Gemeda et al., 2020). For example, the current staff’s willingness to pursue the change suggests the organization’s readiness for the change strategy. Additionally, leaders also identify the organization’s resources, such as the existing workforce. The workforce knows the organization’s strategies and