Evidence Based Practice
I have been working in a psychiatric hospital for seven years now, and during this time the hospital has consistently used a manual system to record and store patient information (Spruce, 2015). Manual systems come in the form of paperwork ranging from prescriptions to lab request form to lab results; it’s all just a load of red tape. The policy of the hospital has been ongoing despite all the evidence that points to the fact that the use of electronic health records in much more beneficial to the hospital and the organization in the long run (Ross, 2016).
The background questions include:
- Do electronic medical records save time?
- Are electronic health records user-friendly?
III. Do electronic medical records promote better patient outcomes in the long run?
The PICOT question is: does the use of electronic medical records to store patient information as opposed to manual records improve patient outcomes?
Maintaining status quo with the manual records will make the hospital drag behind other hospitals that have embraced electronic health records. These digitalized hospitals will always lead regarding patient outcomes and other benefits that come with using electronic records as opposed to a manual recording. If the hospital does not change its policy (Fitzsimons & Cooper, 2012), then it will be left behind in a dynamic health industry.
The first significant barrier to use of EHR is a lack of knowledge. The hospital administration could be lacking knowledge on the potential benefits of HER (Schanhals, 2013). The lack of awareness can be overcome by receiving more training and benchmarking from other hospitals that have used EHR. Secondly, the hospital could be lacking access to up to date user-friendly computer systems. Inadequate funds could facilitate the lack of access (Ajami & ArabChadegani, 2013). To overcome Thus, the hospital could seek grants or take loans to launch the EHR systems.
References
Ajami, S. & ArabChadegani, R. (2013). Barriers to implement Electronic Health Records (EHRs).Materia Socio Medica, 25(3), 213. http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/msm.2013.25.213-215
Fitzsimons, E. & Cooper, J. (2012). Embedding a culture of evidence-based practice. Nursing Management, 19(7), 14-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/nm2012.11.19.7.14.c9370
Ross, J. (2016). Making Electronic Health Records Work Better for Patient Care. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(4), 560. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.0219
Schanhals, R. (2013). Electronic health records (1st ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier/Saunders.
Spruce, L. (2015). Back to Basics: Implementing Evidence-Based Practice. AORN Journal, 101(1), 106-114.e4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.08.009
