Electronic health record "backlash"--the opposition to EHR adoption and Meaningful Use by clinicians and other staff--can be avoided by better planning and implementation, according to a recently published article in EHR Intelligence.
Interviews with CIOs and other hospital IT executives revealed that much opposition stems from failures on the part of the healthcare organization during implementation. To avoid this opposition, the CIOs suggested, organizations should consider the following:
- Communicating with the entire organization, especially clinical staff
- Developing a roll-out strategy that accommodates the needs of clinicians
- Managing expectations and problems directly and honestly
- Using customized approaches to sell adoption, based on who you're selling it to
While a botched or bumpy implementation can make the transition to EHRs even harder, even the smoothest transition is not without its challenges. Although the systems have the potential to reduce errors, control healthcare costs and improve patient care, it's widely acknowledged that they are not yet optimal and inherently come with problems, such as high cost, documentation concerns and functionality deficits.
Providers have been vocal in their frustrations with adoption. Recent surveys that found many physicians are dissatisfied with their EHR systems. One of the most recent studies found that dissatisfaction is increasing with 54 percent of respondents satisfied with their EHRs, down from 63 percent two years ago. Several hospitals have reported financial problems encountered during the implementation process.
To learn more:
- read the EHR Intelligence article