March 20199· Application: "I don't like how the EMR does X"· Workflow: "Why does it do X this way"After we completed our first region (5 hospitals, 90+ interviewees), the picture was somewhat different than the initial "it's slow" complaints, and a tangible direction towards user satisfaction began to surface. It also wasn't quite as technologically focused as initially thought.· Overwhelmingly (62 percent total), there was unhappiness with the application itself (35 percent), and its workflows (27 percent)· Complaints about the more technology centric areas were least voluminous (10 percent)· The remaining complaints focused on the way we managed our user's experience (28 percent)The application and workflow complaints, while representing the largest percentage are areas that are not easily improved because we don't develop the EMR, and workflow changes are understandably disruptive initially. The low volume of technology complaints was unexpected. Especially when you compare them to the roar of escalations we received prior to starting the interviews. However, the user management findings presented a prime opportunity to potentially improve user satisfaction.Before we created a holistic action plan, we completed the interviews for the remaining regions. When we laid the analysis of all three regions side by side, not only were the categories identical, but the percentages for each category were eerily similar (+/- 5 percent deviation).As a data person, I was suspicious of the statistically similar outcomes so I reached out to industry organizations to see if it was what others were seeing. I couldn't find a similarly comprehensive analysis done from a user's perspective that could be used as a comparative reference. However, I did find surveys that corroborated our findings.We began to create a program to improve our caregiver's experience. It focused on 3 key areas that we had the ability to improve:1. Improve Processes & SolutionsLet's evaluate our current processes, focus on reducing inefficiencies, and establish empirical measurements to target improvements.2. Enhance Customer ServiceLet's focus on improving how our caregivers directly interact with us.3. Improve CommunicationLet's provide better transparency to requests and status, better engage with them, and provide information in simpler language.I guess the question you might ask if you've read this article to this point is, "Were we successful?" That truly depends on what you use to measure success. Yes, we improved our processes, increased our engagement, and reduced the initial complaints that we were facing. We never received songs of praise on how amazing things are, or heard how wonderful the EMR is now. But, the volume and passion of complaints evolved and slowed. We still have our challenges, but they're wholly different than when we started.I also take away from this a lesson I learned from the many caregivers I got to spend time with. A lesson in dedication that I will carry forward with me. We all contribute to our patient's safety and we do what we do not because we desire recognition, but because it's the right thing to do and our patients depend on us. I didn't grow up in Healthcare IT, but I am honored to be working with the many teams that work together to passionately provide care to those that need it. Workow27%Process & Communication21%Education &Training7%Infrastructure &Technology6%General Perfomance4%Application35%Workow27%Process & Communication21%Education &Training7%Infrastructure &Technology6%General Perfomance4%Application35%Application25%Workow32%Process & Communication16%Education &Training10%Infrastructure &Technology10%General Perfomance7%Application33%Workow31%Process & Communication12%Education &Training13%Infrastructure &Technology6%General Perfomance5%Region 1Region 2Region 3
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