Introduction: CPOE Implementation
The results of the SWOT analysis reveal that the major organizational strengths of CPOE implementation include a high level of practitioners’ compliance with professional standards and a smooth team collaboration. The opportunities include a possibility to improve knowledge management, assess employee skills, and develop an awareness of information security. The process of organizational technological innovation is associated with some threats and weaknesses as well.
The risks include the purchase of the technology from an unreliable vendor, as well as possible incidents of human errors and technology misuse. The organization’s weaknesses are the absence of sufficient CPOE usage skills and the environment needed to achieve greater implementation efficiency.
To mitigate the identified threats and weaknesses, it is possible to design and enforce safety protocols, implement a training program, and enhance the work environment by changing the scheduling model. According to Holtfreter and Harrington (2016), cybercriminals can compromise private information and, in this way, induce significant financial losses to the organization. The researchers consider that major factors defining the misuse of technology and cyber information include the insufficient level of employees’ competence, lack of knowledge about the technical side of information protection, and non-compliance with safety standards (Holtfreter & Harrington, 2016).
For this reason, the implementation of safety protocols and promotion n of safety culture at the workplace can be of great use. To do so, health providers should be informed about the ethical and legal aspects of technology use, as well as possible consequences of non-compliance with safety measures. Additionally, it is observed that appropriate schedules and the use of sufficient nt workforce can help improve work balance, contribute to health providers’ self-efficacy, and assist them in maintaining patient safety and service quality (Griffiths et al., 2014). Thus, by changing the scheduling model, i.e., making the shifts shorter, and hiring more new specialists, it will be possible to decrease the workload and reduce the risks of human error.
Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology
Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT) is a facility located at UCLA’s Department of Surgery. CASIT “provides a state-of-the-art space where residents can train using simulation-based modules” including VR, dry and wet labs (King, n.d., para. 3).
The robotic technology, VR tools, and interactive models can be applied in the training of health providers in different disciplines. By conducting operations in the virtual space and participating in various simulations, students may become prepared for real-life healthcare situations and avoid possible extreme adverse cases. It is possible to say that the technology used in CASIT is especially useful for training surgeons.
As stated by King (n.d.), CASIT robotics technology helps students “to achieve a baseline level of competency which then allows a safe transition to their operative experience” (para. 3). Another advantage is that it provides an opportunity to research, develop, and advance new technologies and, in this way, contributes to the improvement of patient outcomes in several medical fields. Robotic systems are used for over 15 years in urologic, gynecologic, and cardiovascular surgery (Rahimy, Wilson, Tsao, Schwartz, & Hubschman, 2013).
What is more important is that robotic-assisted surgical procedures are characterized by higher precision and dexterity, lack of tremor, and overall greater safety and efficacy compared to the conventional methods (Rahimy et al., 2013). It means that robotics technology can potentially improve the overall quality of healthcare service, and CASIT can be one of the primary facilities to contribute to this. At the same time, the integration of technology-assisted care processes may require significant financial investments and changes in the current approach to education. Nevertheless, compared to the opportunities provided by CASIT, these cons can be regarded as minor.
References
Griffiths, P., Dall’Ora, C., Simon, M., Ball, J., Lindqvist, R., Rafferty, A.-M., … Aiken, L. H. (2014). Nurses’ shift length and overtime working in 12 European countries: The association with perceived quality of care and patient safety. Medical Care, 52(11), 975–981.
Holtfreter, R., & Harrington, A. (2016) Employees are the weakest links, part 1: Data breaches and untrained workers. Fraud Magazine.
King, J. (n.d.). UCLA’s first surgical robotic assisted whipple procedure.
Rahimy, E., Wilson, J., Tsao, T., Schwartz, S., & Hubschman, J. (2013). Robot-assisted intraocular surgery: Development of the IRISS and feasibility studies in an animal model. Eye, 27(8), 972-978.