Nursing: Workflow Analysis

Assignment Content

Read “Workflow Process Mapping for Electronic Health Record (EHR) Implementation” from the ONC.

According to the article, “The path to successful EHR implementation starts with practice workflow analysis and redesign. While this process isn’t easy and takes time, efficiently managed workflow redesign can be the difference-maker to maximize office efficiencies and improve care coordination using EHRs. A lack of thorough workflow planning is one of the biggest reasons for avoidable losses in productivity and extended workdays.”

As an informatics nurse specialist (INS), mapping and evaluating workflow processes will be a common occurrence particularly concerning the implementation or redesign of an EHR or any other health IT. In this assignment, you will engage in workflow analysis by creating workflow diagrams and analyzing them for efficiency and value.

Choose a basic nursing process that you are familiar with (dispensing meds, requesting labs or x-rays, providing a referral, discharging a patient, prescriptions new/refills, etc.).

Using the guidelines presented in “Workflow Process Mapping for Electronic Health Record (EHR) Implementation” under sections 8, 9, 10, and 11, create a workflow process diagram for both the “As Is” process and the “To Be” process.

Note: This can be done in Microsoft PowerPoint®, Microsoft Excel®, or other applications. Video tutorials for creating these in PowerPoint and Excel are located in this week’s learning activities folder.

Summarize all changes made in the “To Be” process and explain how they will reduce waste, improve efficiency, and impact the patients. The goal of the “To Be” process is to eliminate the following from the “As Is” process:

• Bottlenecks
• Sources of delay
• Rework due to errors
• Role ambiguity
• Unnecessary duplications
• Unnecessary steps
• Long cycle time
• Lack of adherence to standards
• Lack of information
• Lack of quality controls

Submit

your assignment, which will include 2 workflow diagrams and 1 summary.