- IO002 Professionalism – Organizational Policies Report
Student Name
Walden University
IO002
Prof. Name
Submission date
Organizational Policies Report
The use of technology in the modern healthcare system, infused with traditional medicine, has defined innovation and progress. The integration of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) is likely to transform how care is provided, how resources are utilized, and patient satisfaction (Wan and Wang, 2021). The promise that HIT brings with it comes with many challenges and contradictory organizational pressures, such as the necessity to cope with clinician fatigue and enhance technology.
This assignment will consider a complicated relationship between HIT integration and the medical professional’s well-being and healthcare ethics. My implementation strategy of HIT will be sustainable and ethical, taking into consideration policies, reviewing scholarly literature, and delivering evidence-based recommendations.
Competing Organizational Needs
Some of the important organizational needs during the implementation of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) include improvement of efficiency, patient care, and physician burnout. Up to 54% of US nurses and physicians experience burnout, which includes emotional tiredness, depersonalization, and a decreased feeling of personal success (Poon et al., 2021). Burnout has been associated with HITs in research. HIT helps organizations perform faster, improve patient outcomes, and meet regulatory requirements. However, EHRs and other HITs have the potential to add to physician burnout due to their complexity (Poon et al., 2021). Thus, a conflict exists on one side between the ambition to implement and streamline HIT for organizational efficiency and clinician well-being on the other side.
The other conflicting organizational requirement is that it must provide fair access to quality healthcare services without violating patient privacy and data security (Milliken, 2018). The emergence and rapid growth of telehealth and telemedicine, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic, highlight why it is essential to use technology to go around geographical limits and improve patient-provider interaction (Kaplan, 2020). Nevertheless, as much as there are advantages to telehealth, issues of data privacy, consent, and the quality of care provided remotely need to be taken into consideration in order to instill trust both in the health care providers and patients (Association, 2001).
Relevant Organizational Policy
In my organization, the policy that has been applicable in integrating HIT is the introduction of the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and the encouragement of telehealth services. The organization has realized the potential of HIT to enhance care coordination, patient engagement, and resource use, so they have established programs that have transferred health information to digital formats and broadened telemedicine opportunities. Nonetheless, the adoption of policies requires proper support, education, and infrastructure to allow a smooth integration process and to counteract the undesirable effects, including clinician burnout and loss of privacy (Kaplan, 2020).
Critique of Ethical Considerations
Ethically speaking, a policy of establishing integration of HIT presents a number of issues. Bearing in mind that the implementation of EHRs and telehealth falls in line with benefits and patient-centered treatment, unexpected outcomes may need to be weighed and some precautionary steps. In that regard, the larger the population of people who use digital means, the bigger the digital divide can become, paradoxically, leaving those with low socio-economic status without electronic devices and software (Kaplan, 2020). In this regard, ethical controversies arise around the issues of data privacy, consent, and security of electronic health information, evoking the necessity to develop the tools of effective security and accountability (Ruotsalainen and Blobel, 2020).
The positive aspects of the policy are that it will potentially allow care coordination, remote monitoring, and allow patients to engage actively in their care planning. Using HIT, healthcare providers can have access to complete patient records, minimize medication errors, customize interventions to individual needs, and increase the quality and safety of service delivery. Nonetheless, risks associated with providing equal access to technology, reducing the risk of data breach, and meeting clinician concerns about the disruptive workflow and information overload are challenges.
Policy Recommendations
I suggest numerous changes in policy and practice to reconcile resource, worker, and patient needs and solve ethical concerns. Clinicians can enhance HIT competence and effectiveness through rigorous training and technical support. To enhance digital literacy and encourage patients to put the technology to productive use, organizations can equip therapists with the necessary skills and tools (Mesko & Győrffy, 2019).
HIT solution development and implementation can enhance usability, mental strain, and exhaustion by paying attention to human-centered design concepts. Engagement with end-users during design to seek input and improvements of systems based on user experiences can increase user happiness and adoption. HIT such as telemedicine and EHRs must have well-developed moral principles or governance systems to protect their patients’ autonomy and privacy. In the name of ethics and publicity, the organizations ought to prescribe transparency, informed consent, and data protection. Combining healthcare providers, informatics experts, politicians, and ethicists’ ideas will help with HIT integration issues and lead to innovative solutions. When organizations tap into diverse views and experiences of various tasks, they are better placed to consider more effectively those complex interplays of technology, ethics, and society.
Supporting Evidence
The power of research is evident in the proposing of policy or practice change. This has been informed by knowledge of scientific research data subjects and literary materials in the field. As an illustration, the correlation between the human elements of HIT data and the healthiness of clinicians is proven, proposing that the systems design guided by patients’ needs should be implemented (Poon et al., 2021). Similarly, another research postulates that the ethical dilemmas associated with the implementation of telemedicine and establishing equity and data privacy safeguards are yet another odyssey (Kaplan, 2020).
Conclusion
To sum up, HIT systems have become one of the greatest opportunities and issues to be adopted in modern medical organizations. HIT has the potential to transform care delivery and patient experience, but must be evidence-based, provider-friendly, and ethical. The integration of HIT through interdisciplinary collaboration, humanity, and ethical values can assist in providing creativity, efficiency, and compassion as the delivery of health care becomes advanced. By using HIT with constant evaluation, modification, and advocacy, healthcare organizations can develop a user-friendly and patient-centered system.
References
Association, A. N. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. In Google Books. Nursesbooks.org. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bmNLnhAB0uoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=Code+of+Ethics+for+Nurses+With+Interpretive+Statements&ots=eB5xeG6AzH&sig=8bEr2B58w_9Quq40ZW4G18cG5i8
Kaplan, B. (2020). Revisiting health information technology ethical, legal, and social issues and evaluation: telehealth/telemedicine and COVID-19. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 143(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104239
Mesko, B., & Győrffy, Z. (2019). Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(3), e12490. https://doi.org/10.2196/12490
Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it matters. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No01Man01
Wan, T. T. H., & Wang, B. L. (2021). An integrated social and behavioral system approach to evaluating healthcare information technology for polychronic conditions. Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3233/jid200011