"As a practicing pharmacist, I saw both sides of this issue...
On one hand, as the article so adeptly pointed out, we would see new technology introduced, cursory training would ensue and then we would be thrown into the same workflow models we had before. No effect would be seen at all on patient outcomes and cries "user error" and "why don't they get it" would ensue from the powers on high.
On the other hand, I attended numerous "efficiency programs" (some of which had the Toyota name liberally sprayed all over them) all with a focus on building out our ability to do more with less, create value, increase our throughput and potency as clinicians. We would then go back to our jobs, documenting our actions on scraps of paper so we could remember who we cared for and what we did the day before...
Technology alone will never solve the problem. My dad always said (and I'm sure he wasn't the first) "You can buy a fancy hammer, it sure as hell won't build a house for you..." Work flow redesign and technology integration, when married together in a thoughtful way, can have huge positive impacts on patient care."
~charles
Good comment on the HCB, especially the metaphor a the end. At lot of EHR programs are fancy hammers, only a few are nailguns.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! The older I get, the more I seem to find value in my dad's anecdotes... I could probably create a whole blog just with his stories.
I couldn't agree more with this Charles. I think technology is sometimes brought in to be a band-aid. The culture and work environment also need to be factored in to ensure the technology is successful. The whole thing has to fit together like a puzzle to work smoothly.
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