Information technology and its intersection with military healthcare was at the forefront of a key discussion at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s annual conference, held in Chicago, Illinois. , from April 17 to 21.
Dr. Paul Cordts, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Deputy Director of Medical Affairs for the Defense Health Agency, discussed how IT can help make patient care safer in the military health system, giving first an overview of the DHA and sharing the director’s vision for the future.
“Most of our work is to build a modernized, integrated and resilient health care delivery system,” he said.
Health worker burnout is a concern
Health care worker burnout is one of the top concerns that can affect patient safety.
The 2022 Department of Defense Patient Safety Culture Survey showed that “approximately 47% of our staff reported an element of burnout. This is not a new phenomenon,” Cordts said. “The challenge for us is what are we going to do about it.”
“Burnout can have a profound negative impact on patient safety, the well-being of those affected, and healthcare organizations. Reducing burnout will require enterprise-level solutions,” he added.
Cordts noted that a factor leading to burnout is working on health records, and EHR improvements can help with that. “Effective users of electronic health records are less likely to suffer from burnout and more likely to make informed care decisions quickly.”
MHS GENESIS, the Department of Defense’s new electronic health record, aims to aid in the safer ordering and administration of medications by having computerized entry of patient orders and the use of barcodes for the drug administration.
Cordts noted that research conducted by DHA found that users who effectively and optimally use MHS GENESIS “are less likely to suffer from burnout.” A third of users use the system very effectively. »
Better communication, less burnout
Improved communication can also help combat burnout. Creating a ready and reliable safety-of-care communication strategy could reduce burnout among healthcare workers, Cordts acknowledged.
DHA created the Ready Reliable Care Safety Communication Pack to help burn out this worker and create safer patient care.
This communication practice is designed to increase leadership engagement, improve teamwork, and reduce workplace stressors that contribute to burnout.
The Safety Communication Bundle applies to both clinical and non-clinical areas. Some departments and units may use all practices, and some may not, depending on the services provided at the facility. All departments and units will use or participate in some of the practices; for example, daily leader safety briefings, safety leadership rounds and unit huddles.
The six practices in the Ready Reliable Care Safety Communication Set include:
• Daily chef safety briefing
• Safety Leadership Towers
• Unit-based huddle
• I pass
• Surgical brief-debriefing
• Universal Protocol
“If we can implement these six communication practices, it will reduce stress in the workplace and help reduce burnout,” Cordts said.
Cordts believes that the effective use of computers creates an “opportunity to improve burnout and reduce medication errors. The use of artificial intelligence will become a necessary complement to decision-making and improving diagnostic insight.
Date Taken: 25.05.2023 Date Published: 25.05.2023 15:12 Story ID: 445586 Location: United States Webviews: 23 Downloads: 0 PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Effective Health IT Reduces Burnout, Improves Patient Care, by Robbie Hammer, identified by DVIDS, must observe the restrictions listed at https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
