Work Flow

In health care, there is always room to improve how we are doing things. We can improve procedures, patient outcomes and how care is provided. Cain & Haque (2008) describe workflow as a set of tasks and the processes necessary to accomplish those tasks as well as the people available to carry out the task. Just as health care is constantly changing, work flows must also change. By doing this, patient outcomes will improve, make care more readily available, and decrease health care costs (Chaiken, 2011). As a response to a problem concerning how a process is done, a revised work flow is necessary and there are many reasons this is necessary. According to Cain & Haque (2008) some of these reasons include the introduction of new technologies and treatment, Medicare and Medicaid incentives, pressure to keep health care costs down and the collaboration of a multi-level care team. By adapting the utilization of a web based software system to track patient care and progress, the entire health care team is able to have full access to care the patient has received regardless of where it was received. It is important to note this is not the same as an electronic health record since the EHR contains all patient information. This software is specific to the treatment of cancer, from diagnosis through either survivorship or patient demise. The information obtained and stored using this software can be uploaded to the EHR but it is not the same as the EHR itself. Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a difficult and overwhelming experience and patients are often left without guidance and are at risk of receiving fragmented care. Patients often seek second, third and even fourth opinions regarding the proposed treatment depending on their age and specific diagnosis. Naturally, these opinions they seek and treatment they ultimately receive are often not within the same organization. With the introduction of this software, the current workflow will change dramatically. Patients will now have a complete record of their diagnosis, treatment plan, surgical outcome and overall prognosis. Each member of the health care team will have easy, web-based access to this information and a printed copy is available for the patient's personal use. Adjusting the current workflow will improve the efficiency of care and improve the quality of patient care (HealthIT.gov, 2013).

References
Cain, C., & Haque, S. (2008). Patient safety & quality: An evidence-based handbook for nursing. Retrieved February 20, 2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2638/

Chaiken, B. (2011). Transforming healthcare through improved clinician workflows. iHealthBeat. Retrieved February 20, 2015 from http://www.ihealthbeat.org/perspectives/2011/transforming-health-care-through-improved-clinician-workflows

HealthIT.gov (2013). What is workflow redesign?  Why is it important? Retrieved February 20, 2015 from  http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/ehr-workflow-redesign