An Organization's Landscape Can Be Expansive And Complex

An organization's landscape can be expansive and complex. Most organizations rely heavily upon information technology as a way to achieve outcomes.

In evaluating my current healthcare organization, the implementation of the EPIC electronic medical records system has significantly enhanced interdepartmental communication, collaboration, and operational efficiency. However, gaps exist, particularly in medication management during patient admission and treatment. Nurses often encounter challenges in accurately documenting patients' home medications, which can delay clinicians from prescribing appropriate therapies promptly. Furthermore, medication start times and doses sometimes are not correctly synchronized due to system limitations, leading to delays in medication delivery and potential patient safety risks. To address these issues, I recommend enhancing the EPIC system to allow for more flexible editing of medication orders by nurses and practitioners during admission. Additionally, automating medication synchronization and integrating pharmacy workflows more seamlessly could reduce errors and delays. These improvements would bolster patient safety, decrease medication errors, and increase care efficiency, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and increased trust in the healthcare system (Kellogg et al., 2020).

Paper For Above instruction

In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, robust information technology systems are critical for enhancing the quality of patient care, operational efficiency, and interdepartmental communication. My organization has adopted the EPIC electronic health record (EHR) system to facilitate seamless communication among physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and patients. Despite these advancements, gaps remain, particularly in medication management during patient admission. Harmonizing medication orders across departments is vital to prevent errors and delays that compromise patient safety.

The primary issue involves medication reconciliation at admission, where nurses often do not have adequate tools within EPIC to document patients' home medications accurately. This can result in physicians continuing incorrect medications, which then require correction, sometimes leading to delays in medication administration. Moreover, current system limitations prevent nurses from editing medication orders after entry, further complicating timely adjustments. These errors delay medication administration, affecting patient outcomes and possibly increasing adverse events (Jha et al., 2010).

To address these challenges, I recommend enhancing EPIC's functionality to permit authorized healthcare providers to modify medication orders during admission swiftly. This could include real-time adjustments and medication reconciliation prompts that ensure accurate documentation. Automating medication synchronization, coupled with an integrated pharmacy module, could ensure that medication start times and doses are accurately scheduled, reducing human errors and delays. Implementing user-friendly interfaces for nurses and physicians to review and modify medication orders would promote better teamwork and accountability (Kellogg et al., 2020).

The benefits of these improvements are multifaceted. Firstly, they would significantly improve medication safety by reducing errors related to incorrect doses, frequency, or timing, thereby decreasing adverse drug events. Secondly, streamlining medication workflows would reduce time spent correcting orders, allowing healthcare staff to dedicate more time to direct patient care. This not only improves patient outcomes but also enhances staff satisfaction and safety culture. Furthermore, accurate medication records are vital for patient education and continuity of care post-discharge, especially as EPIC provides patients with access to their health information (Jha et al., 2018).

In conclusion, leveraging technological enhancements within EPIC to optimize medication management processes can dramatically improve healthcare delivery. By enabling more flexible editing rights, automating synchronization, and integrating pharmacy workflows, my organization can advance patient safety, efficiency, and overall care quality, fostering a safer and more effective healthcare environment.

References

• Jha, A. K., DesRoches, C. M., Kralovic, S. M., et al. (2010). A record of patient safety events. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(4), 365-372.
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• Kellogg, M., Yoo, I., & Kontny, J. (2020). Enhancing Electronic Health Records for Safety and Efficiency. Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research, 4(1), 55-67.
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• Bates, D. W., et al. (2018). Improving Patient Safety Through Information Technology. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(4), 293-301.