Reference no: EM133907702

Question

Workflow is the sequence of physical and mental tasks performed by various people within and between work environments. It can occur at several levels (one person, between people, across organizations) and can occur sequentially or simultaneously. For example, the workflow of ordering a medication includes communication between the provider and the patient, the provider's thought process, the physical action by the provider of writing a paper prescription or entering an electronic prescription into an electronic health record and transmitting the order electronically or having the patient take the prescription to the pharmacy to have the prescription filled (AHRQ, 2021). Workflow analysis is the process of examining an organization's workflows, generally for the purpose of improving operational efficiency. It identifies areas of process improvement such as redundant tasks or processes, inefficient workplace layouts and bottlenecks in the workflow (Integrify, n.d.). Healthcare workflow analysis helps hospitals and medical centers to find out areas where health IT solutions can help in increasing the efficiency of performance. It is important to design an EHR which smoothly fits into the workflow pattern of the medical center, as the same EHR model does not work for every medical center. Some of the benefits of workflow analysis include increased efficiency, happier employees and customers, physical space optimization, and easier to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance. Identifying and upgrading steps will earn the company more profit as they are able to run more smoothly and get more done in less time. Investing time and money into workflow analysis assures team members that they are being taken care of. Switching up physical objects in the room increases efficiency for the employees. Workflow tools can be used to ensure regulatory compliance, and create reports as needed (DelVecchio, 2021). Steps for proper workflow analysis includes collecting data, asking questions, implementing changes and monitoring results. Some of the questions to be asked here are:

1. What is the purpose of the workflow?

2. Who does the workflow serve?

3. What defines a good process? Is workflow designed to minimize errors? Speed up the process?

4. Do we really need this specific step?

5. Can it be converted from approval to a notification?

6. Does everyone have enough information to perform their tasks effectively?

7. How can more automation fit in? After collecting data, it is important to talk to people who use tools involved in the workflow often to see if they are pleased with the process or have any complaints (DelVecchio, 2021).

8. What do you agree and disagree with? What did you find interesting? What else might you add? Explain.