Leading process change in the medical organization requires substantial time, resources, and efforts due to the complex structure of healthcare institutions and dependencies within hospitals. Nevertheless, the new trends and technology that evolve nowadays present significant opportunities in the implementation of medical practice and enhancement of the high-quality provision of patient care. Different change theories that were invented help professionals to introduce and utilize technology equipment efficiently in hospitals and shape a better environment for patients and employees. This paper will discuss implementing an electronic medical records system in the organization with Kurt Lewin’s change theory model that will guide the adoption of the new program.
Lewin’s change model presents a three-stage process of change that is applicable to various situations, including the implementation of the technology system in medical institutions (Wagner, 2018). The first stage is unfreezing, the second is change, and the final is the refreezing stage. Through these three steps, leaders and employees can acquire new systems and reject the prior practices that became outdated. In this change model, it is essential to understand the driving and restraining forces of change that might improve or impede the implementation, respectively (Bridges, 2019).
During the unfreezing stage, it is necessary to encourage the desire to change the medical records system among the executives of the hospital that are the central decision-makers. It is essential to admit that the change should be conducted with the help of research data that proves that electronic medical records are more efficient than the older process of the tracking system, namely, manual documentation. The driving forces for the implementation of the automated program should be the hospital’s senior managers and executives, opinion leaders that will be in favor of adoption, and the advantages and value of the system that should be conveyed to professionals.
Analysts suggest that the restraining forces can be ordinary employees in the hospital, their attitude, and their behavior if changes are not appropriately communicated (Salameh et al., 2019). Among other obstacles can be the cost of the electronic records system, the absence of required IT equipment, knowledge, and skills to implement the system appropriately. To ensure that the program will run smoothly, the driving forces should be enhanced with additional factors, while the restraining forces should be mitigated. The balance of both parties will help to create the right impact of the technology on the medical organization.
The change stage requires the electronic medical records system to be put in place. At this step, the target stakeholders must agree to implement the policy, overlook the changes, and lead the process. It is also suggested to convince people that changes are required and will help employees to manage records and data faster and better (Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, 2017). To go from the manual documentation to the electronic medical records, guidelines, and presentations should be created to educate and train employees and practice leaders to transform the system smoothly and adapt quickly to changes. The administration of the facility must communicate the value of alterations and become role models who use the system daily and must assign people that will conduct the process and make the program work. Each person in the organization should realize the responsibility to support the process.
The refreezing stage aims to settle the process, eliminate minor issues, and reinforce the electronic medical records system’s adoption across the medical institution. New rules and guidelines should support the workflow of the automated medical records system. The data from patients and old records should be transferred to the digital version of the program. The supportive tools to refreeze the system may include standard principles that can be found online and onsite. Technicians or IT managers will help employees to catch the information and resolve issues that people may face while using the electronic records initially.
Considering the recommendations that can be provided to the process of the transition from the manual documentation to the electronic medical records system, several essential points can be mentioned. Researchers state that during the unfreezing stage, hospital leaders should study, review, and find various useful strategies to motivate people to transfer to the new technology system faster (Miller, 2017). It is also suggested to help employees by assigning responsible managers and mitigating challenges continuously (Salameh et al., 2019). Medical executives and employees must acknowledge that the interaction between staff members and patients should remain an essential issue. Thus, during the change and the refreezing stages hospital’s administration must highlight that the communication and the necessity to collect information from patients and process it correctly is a significant part of work. Finally, the collaboration and contribution of all employees are required to change the system successfully.
To conclude, one can say that leading change in an organization is a challenging process that demands efforts, resources, and knowledge combined to get things done. Various change theories that exist nowadays may assist leaders in finding the right path to approach the reshaping of systems and conduct necessary steps that ensure effective communication and work. Managers should take into account change theories and other helpful frameworks to implement the transformation of services in medical organizations and bring added value to the quality of patient care in hospitals.
References
Bridges, M. (2019). Lewin 3-step change management model: A simple and effective method to institute change that sticks. Medium.
Miller, S. (2017). Strategies hospital leaders use in implementing electronic medical record systems. [Doctoral Study, Walden University]. Walden University ScholarWorks.
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. (2017). Adopting eHealth solutions: Implementation strategies.
Salameh, B., Eddy, L. L., Batran, A., Hijaz, A., & Jaser, S. (2019). Nurses’ attitudes toward the use of an electronic health information system in a developing country. SAGE Open Nursing, 5, 1-8.
Wagner, J. (2018). Leadership and influencing change in nursing. University of Regina Press.