The purpose of the program
Over the past years, the industrial giants have invested heavily in computerization in the world. However, despite such global developments, patients’ data are still recorded manually while the prescriptions are hand-written. In fact, patients still report to the receptionist for any inquiries or seek an appointment.
In this regard, an Electronic health records (EHRs) system will purposely help in making the hospital work easier for the parties involved (Jha & DesRoches, 2009). The system will be able to transform the health care sector into an effective organization that helps its stakeholders ensure that quality care is given to the patients.
The target population
Electronic health records are patients’ records that are stored in a computer system for future references and diagnosis. Such records may be shared across multiple sites, including health professionals.
The records include patients’ medical history, lab test results, medication, allergies, demographics, and immunization status (Maki & Petterson, 2012). The system has many benefits that will not only be of benefit to the nurses and doctors, but also to the patients. The targeted population for this project of switching from paperwork to EHR includes the medical professionals, clerks, and patients.
The benefits of the program
The records allow for the viewing of a patients’ history at once since it captures the patient’s data all the time when a patient visits the hospital. The aspect ensures the accuracy of the data and prevents recording the same data since it is only modified once and is always up to date. The EHR systems also allow the doctors to be able to make predictions of the patient’s medical trends and note any long-term changes. The digitized system will help in improving the quality of care given to the patients (Ammenwerth, 2010).
Thus, the EHRs will reduce the costs incurred in keeping patients’ records after its implementation. Besides, the EHR system will allow for the documentation of the physician’s interactions with patients. As a result, the patients and medics will be able to access their medical histories easily when needed. The attribute enables the medics to make detailed decisions, treatments, and be able to refer the patients appropriately if needed.
The EHR will help reduce cases of patients’ problems with respect to medical errors due to misinterpretation by a physician. The system will also reduce medical errors accruing from the decision that the support provides to health care workers.
In most cases, the EHR system serves as a better storage and retrieval system, as well as saves time since all the patients’ information is stored in a single file (Blumenthal & Tavenner, 2010). There will be a reduction in the bulk paperwork to store, given that everything is electronic. Since the program is streamlined, the medical staff will find more time to ensure their patients are served as recommended since everything will be done electronically.
The setbacks associated with the EHR system include the initial implementation costs. Although the system will reduce costs in the future, the implementation cost is always expensive and requires a great adjustment of the hospital’s budget. Initially, clinical productivity will reduce since the medical staff will have to create time in their schedules to learn how to use and operate the system. Besides, people are usually resistant to change. Hence, it is possible that the staff will not be willing to move from the paper to the EHRs.
The cost or budget justification
For the hospital to implement the EHR system, the requirements will include hardware, software, and human resource training. Any technology encompasses hardware as the container of the technology. In IT, the physical components of computers and related equipment are the hardware and communications systems. They enable the installation of software. Other IT hardware includes telephones, routers, uninterruptable power supply, servers, and backups.
The hardware installed by the hospital has specifications that will accommodate the proposed technology. The selection of the hardware is important, as it will determine the efficiency of the software. The hardware will be large enough to accommodate the increasing labor details and information in the long-term. The component will cost $ 3,000.
Another important aspect of the EHR system is software. These are the nontangible parts of information technology. They are programs used to control computers and allied devices. Examples of the EHR system’s software include operating systems, utilities, applications, and programs.
The hospital requires purchasing and installing programs that are compatible with the EHR system. The cost of purchasing and installing the software adds up to $5,000. Since the system will be used across the board, all medical staff will be trained on how to input data into the computer. The training costs will be $ 2000. The total cost of implementation is expected to be $10,000.
The program implementation budget
Requirements Estimated cost
- Hardware $3,000
- Software $5,000
- Human Resource Training $2,000
- Total $10,000
The basis upon which the program will be evaluated
A good way of evaluating the success of the project should be based on the amount of data that is available to be used for policy planning. Since all data is recorded, it should be easily retrieved when needed. Cases of lost files should be rare, and there must be a reduction in the time used to locate files. Thus, the implementation of the program should reduce the time patients will have to wait to be attended to by the medics.
Conclusion
Although the initial cost of implementing Electronic health records is expensive, it is a good system to help reduce the workload of the physician while ensuring quality care for the patient. Besides, the system works to reduce costs in the future, making it a good program for the hospital.
References
Ammenwerth, H. (2010). Electronic health records. A Systematic Review on Quality Requirements, 3(2), 2-15.
Blumenthal, D. & Tavenner, M. (2010). The “meaningful use” regulation for electronic health records. The New England Journal of Medicine, 363(2), 501-504.
Jha, A. & DesRoches, C. (2009). Use of electronic health records in the U.S. hospitals. The New England Journal of Medicine 360(2), 1628-1638.
Maki, S. & Petterson, B. (2012). Using the electronic health record in the health care provider practice. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.