WorkFlow

Workflow is defined as any task performed in series or parallel by two or more members of a work group to reach a common goal. At a regular level, workflow would allow users to deliver information to the appropriate people; organize information to be immediately used; ensure that the information is acted upon; and finally file information and record action taken.

Due the complexity of the procedure of healthcare that involves both clinical and administrative tasks, workflow concept is an ideal match with the specific need of the healthcare industry (Chaiken, n.d.). A common problem that I used to see in my work place is the use of both Electronic Health Record’s (EHR’s) and paper documentation. The use of EHR’s in Saudi Arabia is in its infancy stage; therefore, it is not being fully utilized. Nurses are still documenting on paper, but have to enter Doctor’s orders in the system such as blood tests and x-ray requests. Additionally, there are only two computers in the unit for the nurses to use which delay the work of some nurses since they have to wait before entering the orders.

 Nursing documentation is important to patient care since caring for one patient can involve many providers and information sources. Thus, there should be complete and accurate information related to patient care. Using both, EHR’s and paper documentation can increase the work load on nurses leading to missing some of the information or performed procedure to be documented which affect the quality of patient care. Even more, it can lead to many errors at hand off or transition points in addition to degradation of information.  Paper-based documentation cannot keep healthcare providers completely informed because it can be only in one place at a time. Thus, it cannot be shared between two providers or more health specialist at different locations simultaneously. This has a negative impact on optimization of information management in healthcare and leading to reducing productivity and quality of care provided (Altuwaijri, 2008).

My proposed solution for improving this workflow is to fully utilize the EHR’s and install a software system that replaces the paper work. Each staff nurse will have a computer with access to the EHR’s and it is the only place where nurses and other healthcare professionals do their documentation. The EHR's will save time and ease the documentation process for nursing staff in addition to its benefit in reducing medical errors caused by unclear hand writing. The electronic format will provide healthcare providers with easy access to the patient medical records at the same time in different geographical areas. Furthermore, EHR will enable information sharing across the organization and between different organizations, enhance services to the patients, and ensure security and privacy of patient information. Here is an article showing Saudi Physician’s perspective regarding EHR’s      

In a systematic review done by Hasanain, Vallmuur, & Clark, 2014 it has been shown that due to some technical, social, and resources barrier, there has been low uptake of HER’s implementation in Saudi Arabia hospitals. Leaders must manage, plan, and evaluate the new integrated technology and its effectiveness in the setting. They also should educate and train the staff about the new embraced technology to increase the staff buy-in and empower them to engage and utilize the integrated technology efficiently and effectively (Volgelsmeier, Scott-Cawiezell, 2009). Leaders should performed constant review and evaluation of the implemented new technology to evaluate its effectiveness (Gamble, 2009). Leaders should be involved in the selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the new technology.

Here is a video explaining how to optimize your clinical workflow in four steps

References

Altuwaijri, M. M. (2008). Electronic-health in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 29(2). 171-178.

Chaiken, B. P. (n.d.). Workflow in Healthcare. Retrieved on 27 July 2015 from http://www.docsnetwork.com/articles/BPC97112.pdf

Gamble, K. (2009). Administrative. All systems down: as more applications go live, the pressure on CIOs to ensure server reliability is growing.Healthcare Informatics, 26(11), 20.

Hasanain, R., Vallmuur, K. & Clark, M. (2014). Prograss and challenges in the implementation of Electronic Medical Record in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review.Health-informatics- An international Journal. 3(2). 1-14.

Marley, K., Reck, D. (2006). The Role of Nursing Leadership in Clinical Transformation. Nurse Leader, 29-33.

Volgelsmeier, A., Scott-Cawiezell, J. (2009). The Role of Nursing Leadership in Successful Technology Implementation. JONA, 39(7/8), 313-314.