Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Sociotechnical Aspects: Clinicians and Technology
Lecture:Sociotechnical aspects of health care
Slide content:Change Change is an alteration in organizational structure and/or function Implementation of technology may be entirely transparent and may be welcomed by individuals and groups Example: Most physicians embraced pagers, cell phone technology, and mobile devices because the technology allows them to respond remotely However, some technologies are intrusive and significantly change the workflow Example: EHR implementation in the clinical setting with limited inclusion of clinicians during implementation 11
Slide notes:The following slides examine the phenomenon of change in the context of health care. Change is an alteration in organizational structure or organizational function. Organizations are in a constant state of change, yet the extensive use of technology in health care hastens these cycles of change. Certain types of technology may be entirely transparent to the end user, and their implementation may be welcomed by individuals and groups. For example, most physicians embraced pagers and cell phone technology because these devices allowed them to be reached and to respond remotely. Mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets allow physicians to be more flexible with accessing clinical systems and responding to patient needs regardless of their location. The freedom to address patient care issues from locations other than the bedside has been welcomed. However, some technologies are intrusive and significantly change the workflow; one example is implementation of the EHR system in the clinical setting. Clinicians are more reluctant to use technologies that they perceive to be counterproductive or contrary to their clinical focus and impede how they practice medicine. To quickly adapt new technologies and information systems, clinicians must see the value and benefit to clinical practice, clinical outcomes, patient safety, or workflow. 11