166883 Nurse involvement in HIT design is crucial: The experience at Kaiser Permanente

Tuesday, November 6, 2007: 2:30 PM

Barbara Coufal, MA , Legislative Department, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Washington, DC
Research and experience regarding health information technology (HIT) projects demonstrate that it is important to include frontline nurses and other health care workers in their planning, design, and implementation. The success of HIT depends on a system that is integrated with the flow of work and this requires the active involvement of those who perform the work and will be using the new technology. The cost of making bad decisions about HIT is potentially quite high both financially and with respect to patient safety.

This presentation will highlight the example of Kaiser Permanente, where workers were involved early in the process of planning and designing HIT projects and remained involved through all phases.

Learning Objectives:
1) Analyze and discuss the importance of involving frontline nurses and other health care workers in the planning, design and implementation of health information technology. 2. Analyze and discuss the cost of making bad decisions both financially and with regard to patient care. 3. Describe and discuss the examples of HIT projects at Kaiser Permanente, where workers were involved in development and design.

Keywords: Nurses, Health Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Information Technology in the Healthcare Workplace: Impact and Implications
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