Adoption Of the EHR Technology Systems
In a contemporary health environment, nurses have long been using the computer technology to achieve the health outcomes such as the laboratory tests, however, the EHR (electronic health records) has become a revolutionary innovative technology for the enhancement of the healthcare system. It is very critical for nurses to understand their roles as an agent of changes and influence other to change the tradition way of doing things. My role as a nursing facilitator of a small hospital in New York is to prepare the implementation plan of a new EHR system for the hospital. While the decision has been finalized for the implementation of the EHR, nevertheless, there is still a resistance from the nurses of the hospital.
The objective of this paper is to use the five qualities of the Roger (2003) model for the implementation of the new system.
Application of the Roger's Model
Roger's model is an innovative diffusion process that emphasizes on the strategy the innovation is rejected or accepted by a particular organization. Roger argues that an organization is required to make an innovation more appealing to the member of an organization. The paper uses the Roger model to make the implementation of the electronic health record more acceptable to the nurses of the hospital.
Relative advantage: Roger (2003) points out that an individual adopting an innovation should perceive the new idea as better that include its ability to provide the economic advantages, satisfaction,...
In other words, "relative advantage is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the current idea or practice; the greater the perceived relative advantage of an innovation." (Lee, 2004 p 232).
A major advantage of the electronic health record is that it saves a relative amount of nurse's time. Unlike the traditional method that involves storing data on the error-prone printed paper, the EHR makes nurses more efficient because it will assist them assessing patient record at a faster rate. Moreover, the EHR eliminates the medical errors associated to the healthcare system. The EHR also saves the costs of record administration, which will assist the organization to reduce the cost of operations, and consequently increase the organizational revenue.
Compatibility with the existing practices and values: Roger (2003) argues that organizations that intend to adopt the innovation practice that will align with the current practice should be consistency with the practice values. One of the ways in which the EHR will improve the value of the nursing professional is its contribution to the financial improvement and potential productivity. Typically, the EHR enhances the efficiency by improving the billing and reduce transcription costs. Additionally, the implementation of the EHR will enhance the quality of healthcare improvement. For example, the EHR will be able to assist the management of chronic disease as well increasing the preventive care service. Additionally, the EHR will assist…
