Development of Nursing Workflows and Device Requirement Principles with the Implementation of an Electronic Medical Record System

Abstract

The past decade has seen the implementation of electronic medical record (EMR) systems being implemented across large-scale healthcare organisations throughout Australia. A first-time implementation of an organisational-wide EMR system required a multi-modal approach to the development of new nursing workflows and appropriate selection of hardware devices to ensure acceptance and adoption of the EMR. The aim of this work was to develop new nursing workflows and associated device requirement principles to allow for continuation of safe, high quality nursing care with an EMR implementation. The incorporation of multi-disciplinary consultations, an audit, observational study and clinical and governance stakeholder engagement was used to develop device requirement principles. This ensured development of standardised nursing workflows were successfully adopted throughout the organisation with the EMR implementation.