Evidence-Based Approach For Electronic Health Assignment Paper

Discussion Response

Hello, indeed, healthcare services are provided full-time to enable individuals to access timely medical care for better health outcomes. Unfortunately, electronic health records (EHR) systems experience downtime episodes due to unforeseen circumstances (Sano & Alexander, 2020). Additionally, downtime episodes are experienced during scheduled maintenance, aiming at enhancing the efficacy of the EHR system. The delivery of efficient, high-quality, safe, and timely patient care might be compromised during these episodes. Therefore, healthcare organizations must introduce training programs to educate staff on how to function effectively and provide high-quality and efficient patient care during EHR downtimes. Specifically, staff should be educated on how to prepare paperwork and secure it as a backup plan for downtime episodes. Evidence-Based Approach For Electronic Health Assignment Paper

Secondly, healthcare organizations can address potential challenges that occur during downtime episodes by managing their occurrence. This strategy starts by evaluating the consequences of a potential downtime episode, including patient safety issues. The healthcare organization then develops a contingency response plan for the EHR downtime incident (Lyon et al., 2023). Additionally, the organization optimizes clinician preparedness by running simulations. For instance, the medical facility’s management can conduct EHR downtime drills in various departments at different times. These drills will enable the management to assess staff’s operation without the EHR for a specific period. Specifically, the head of the affected department will evaluate the staff’s ability to efficiently provide high-quality, timely, and safe care to all patients despite relying on paper records. The ability to perform efficiently during the drill indicates healthcare professionals’ preparedness for downtime episodes.

ORDER  HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

References

Lyon, R., Jones, A., Burke, R., & Baysari, M. T. (2023). What Goes Up, Must Come Down: A State-of-the-Art Electronic Health Record Downtime and Uptime Procedure in a Metropolitan Health Setting. Applied Clinical Informatics, 14(03), 513-524.

Sano, J. M., & Alexander, S. (2020). Using an evidence-based approach for electronic health record downtime education in nurse Onboarding. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 38(1), 36-44.

Discussion response needed for the following discussion post. Must be at least 200 words and have a reference within the past 5 years. Evidence-Based Approach For Electronic Health Assignment Paper

Healthcare services is a 24-hour,7 days per week operation. Downtime episodes will inevitably occur, and how healthcare services prepare staff for the continuation of safe and efficient patient care is critical. The primary objective for downtime and disaster planning is to protect the organization and the patients who are served by minimizing disruption to operations (Hardy, 2024). Computers have become embedded in critical workflow processes, and any disruptions to access the computer system were found to have severe consequences to hospital operations, finance, patient safety, providers, and especially the clinical staff ( Gecomo & Rouse, 2020). The first step in preventing or managing a downtime is to determine what may cause a downtime and then perform a risk assessment of the impact of each potential downtime (Hardy, 2024).

Nursing is typically the first group of clinicians to report if the computer system is inaccessible ( Gecomo & Rouse, 2020). Most hospital nursing services have preprinted downtime flow sheets to guide nurses on when they should be used and at what point they could become the permanent record during downtimes. Downtime continues to require training by the IT department for nursing staff on specific guidelines both during and after computer downtime. Evidence-Based Approach For Electronic Health Assignment Paper

Meaningful use provided incentives for the use of electronic health records pushing the idea of health information systems (Hardy, 2024). While health information systems can help reduce errors, they can also introduce new types of errors. Incorrect or incomplete data entry, system malfunctions, and user errors can lead to misdiagnosis errors and adverse patient outcomes. The high cost of technology can be a barrier to access for patients, especially those in low-income areas.

Healthcare organizations must invest significant resources in implementing and maintaining technology systems. As healthcare providers become more reliant on technology, there is a risk of losing basic clinical skills and critical thinking. Over-reliance on technology can also lead to complacency and a lack of attention to detail. The use of technology in healthcare can sometimes lead to a reduction in face-to-face communication between healthcare providers and patients. Evidence-Based Approach For Electronic Health Assignment Paper