Workflow In Health Care

As the complexity of health care has grown, so has the complexity of information signifying that design concepts must be considered when implementing a new electronic system. This should comprise of workflow redesign, technical competencies of the users, the systems life cycle (SLC), and all other stakeholders. According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2015), the goal of workflow systems is to ensure that the work processes across the different units of an organization are carried out in the most timely and cost-efficient method possible. Workflow systems use formal descriptions of tasks, the order in which the tasks are to be implemented and their interdependencies (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Therefore, a process for allergy information …show more content…
If not dealt with immediately and appropriately, patient safety may be at risk. The first observed issue is the lack of alert to inform the health care provider that the signs and symptoms and the severity of the category of the allergy information needs to be documented in the electronic health records (EHRs). This could cause a delay in the workflow process of patient care as the pharmacist or the nutritionist has to check with the nurses and the nurses with the patient in finding out the severity of the allergic reaction. According to Ramaiah, Subrahmanian, Sriram, and Lide, (2012), delays in the flow process can further be impeded if the patient is unable to communicate with the health care provider due to illness and the next of kin has to be contacted via the telephone. The core to good healthcare is to embrace the understanding that nursing informatics can support and render an outcome that can change the pathway of care in this workflow issue (Ramaiah et al., …show more content…
(2012), a workflow diagram documents the processes of the users, while a data workflow diagram documents the interaction and flow of the information system. As previously mentioned, the stakeholders in this workflow analysis for allergy information would include: the physician/surgeon; the nurse; the respiratory therapist; the nutritionist; and the pharmacist. Other relevant processes will include: the ED; pharmacy; cardiac cauterization department; radiology department; operating room; intensive care unit; respiratory department; nutrition department; and the telemetry department. An effective way to visualize the flow of information is to illustrate a diagram depicting the activities (see