Response to discussion question 7.2

150 word response the discussion question answer below in apa format with in-text citations and references

Question:

An organization’s landscape can be expansive and complex. Most organizations rely heavily upon information technology as a way to achieve outcomes. Conduct a needs assessment on your current organization or a familiar organization. Evaluate the cross-functionality of departments to identify gaps or opportunities for more effectively utilizing information technology to improve collaboration, efficiency, and communication. Recommend improvements based on your assessment. Include an explanation of the benefits in your proposal.

Answer:

An organization’s landscape can be expansive and complex. Most organizations rely heavily upon information technology as a way to achieve outcomes. Conduct a needs assessment on your current organization or a familiar organization. Evaluate the cross-functionality of departments to identify gaps or opportunities for more effectively utilizing information technology to improve collaboration, efficiency, and communication. Recommend improvements based on your assessment. Include an explanation of the benefits in your proposal.

As technology becomes a major staple for the health care industry, the organization in which I work realized they needed to change their technology to be in the competitive market and improve collaboration, efficiency, and communication. They were able to identify the gaps between organizations and departments and decided to implement the entirely new electronic medical records system across the entire organization to use EPIC.

EPIC has provided improved communication across all departments of health care from physicians, nurses, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, discharge planning, pharmacy, patients, and even other organizations that implement the EPIC system. Although this system has allowed all health care departments to be able to see the entire plan, care, and actions for each individual patient so everyone can be on the same page there are still same gaps that need updating to improve patient care. This area is involving medications. Upon admission home medications are not being completely addressed, physicians are then continuing medications that are not accurate, and the floor nurses cannot go back and edit these medications. In addition, when physicians are implementing medications to begin or modify the start times are noted when the physician enters the order. It then takes pharmacy a couple hours to get the medication on the floor. This is causing medications to be given late and affecting the following doses. Medications are so important to patient care. Knowing exactly what the patient takes at home is effective on the patients care in the hospital and what they are admitted with. Having the wrong dose or frequency can completely change the way we treat our patients.

This all begins in the ER. Nurses in the ER need to take the time to accurately document patients home medications and chart that they are complete. That way when the admitting physician comes to see the patients, which is sometimes in the ER, they can accurately address the medications and not have to wait or readdress orders after admission. In addition, when ordering medications pharmacy already approves the medications. However, they need to be paying attention to start times and next doses and take in to factor the time it takes to get to the floor. If these two actions were addressed time spent correcting orders would be decreased. Allowing nurses to spend more time with their patients to implement other orders, treatments, etc. Patients would also be getting their correct medications, decreasing errors in their care and outcomes. Patient safety is a major priority and medications are a huge part of that. EPIC also allows patients to access their records at home. Patients trust health care team members. So, when patients access their medications at home they need to have the correct medications in the system to ensure compliance and safety once home. EPIC is a great communication system, but it must be improved for better communication, safety, and efficiency in patient care.