The systems development life cycle
Since the inception of the HITECH Act, health organizations have faced increased pressure to update their health information technology (HIT) resources. As discussed last week, many believe that the increased use of electronic health records and the quick and efficient communication afforded by HIT can lead to improved quality of patient care. Yet there are significant costs associated with implementing such systems. What can organizations do to ensure that the correct system is selected and that the system will be appropriate for those required to use it? Who should be involved in those decisions?
This week introduces the systems development life cycle and discusses how it can guide an organization through the complexities of adopting a new HIT system. In this Discussion, you are asked to consider the role of nurses in the SDLC process.
To prepare:
- Review the steps of the systems development life cycle.
- Think about your own organization, or one with which you are familiar, and the steps the organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new HIT system.
- Consider what a nurse could contribute to decisions made at each stage when planning for new health information technology. What might be the consequences of not involving nurses?
- Reflect on your own experiences with your organization selecting and implementing new technology. As an end user, do you feel you had any input in the selection or and planning of the new HIT system?
ASSIGNMENT:
- Post an analysis of the ramifications of an organization not involving nurses in each stage of the systems development life cycle when purchasing and implementing a new HIT system.
- Give specific examples of potential issues at each stage and how the inclusion of nurses could help avoid such issues.
Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology
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Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology
The Systems Development Life Cycle
Electronic health information technology has transformed the healthcare field, but the triumphant execution of electronic health information technology needs cautious planning, deliberated thinking, including a devotion to change management. Triumphant execution of electronic health information technology needs heedful planning, execution, and continuing appraisal. The first tactic is to evaluate the organization’s preparedness for electronic health information technology execution, involving the organization’s culture, infrastructure, including resources (Fennelly et al., 2020). Including critical stakeholders, like clinicians, staff, patients, and technology pundits, is vital in the planning and execution process. The second step is to choose and execute the appropriate electronic health information technology system, meeting the organization’s requirements and needs. Tutoring and sustenance for all users are crucial to ensure the effectual and coherent use of the electronic health information technology system. Continuing appraisal of the electronic health information technology system is appropriate in ensuring that it is meeting the organization’s goals and objectives and remaining current and updated with new technology and supervisory needs (Zhang et al., 2018). Victorious execution of electronic health information technology can enhance patient care, improve efficiency, minimize costs, and improve patient safety. This paper analyzes the ramifications of an organization not including nurses in each stage of the system, examples of potential issues, and the importance of nurse inclusion in avoiding such issues.
The Repercussion of Eliminating Nurses in Each Stage of the Systems Development Life Cycle when Purchasing and Executing a New HIT System
The execution of a new health information technology system is a multiplex process involving numerous stakeholders and nurses. Nurses are vital in patient care and often use health information technology systems. Accordingly, eliminating nurses in each stage of the systems development life cycle when purchasing and executing a new health information technology system can have crucial outcomes on patient safety, workflow coherence, and overall satisfaction with the new system. Throughout the first stage of the systems development life cycle, the planning stage, the project squad associates the goals and intentions of the new health information technology system (Malinda Burt et al., 2019). Eliminating nurses from this stage can lead to a lack of comprehension the nursing workflow, patient care processes, and the distinctive requirements of the nursing staff. It can also result in a mismatch between the system’s design and the users’ fundamental requirements. As an outcome, the system may not sufficiently support the nursing workflow, and nurses may scuffle to use the system, resulting in carelessness and possible patient safety risks.
The second stage of the systems development life cycle is the examination stage, where the project squad estimates the existing system and associates the needs for the new health information technology system. Eliminating nurses from this stage can lead to a lack of comprehension of the current nursing workflow, possible risks linked with the current system, and the requirements of the nursing staff (Hardiker et al., 2019). It can also result in a misfiring to recognize essential needs and possible areas of enhancement, impacting patient safety, workflow coherence, and overall reimbursement with the new systems. Throughout the design stage, the project squad develops the stipulations for the new health information technology system based on the needs highlighted in the analysis stage. Eliminating nurses from the stage can lead to a lack of comprehension of the nursing workflow, resulting in a user-unfriendly system design that does not appropriately support the nursing workflow and may result in errors and wastefulness. The execution stage entails equipping and arranging the new health information technology system. Eliminating nurses from the stage can lead to a lack of comprehension of the nursing workflow, leading to poor system arrangement and errors, wastefulness, and possible patient safety risks. The last stage of the system development life cycle is the maintenance stage, the project squad ensures the system remains running, and refreshes and upgrades are performed as required (Kramer, 2018). Eliminating nurses from this stage can lead to a lack of apprehension about continuing nursing workflow changes, leading to the misfiring to make appropriate refreshes and upgrades, resulting in carelessness and possible patient safety risks. Comprehensively, nurses are essential stakeholders in the execution of new health information technology systems, and eliminating nurses from the stages of the systems development life cycle can lead to a lack of comprehension of the nursing workflow, patient care processes, and the distinctive requirements of the nursing staff, resulting in wastefulness, possible patient safety risks, and comprehensively dissatisfaction with the new system. Accordingly, it is vital to involve nurses in all the stages of the systems development life cycle, ensuring the new health information technology appropriately supports the nursing workflow and enhances patient care processes.
The Possible Issues in The System Development Life Cycle Process
The software development life cycle is a procedure outlining the numerous stages of software development, starting with planning to deployment. Even though the SDLC is an effective way to develop software, it also contains possible issues. One issue that may develop throughout the system development life cycle is insufficient planning, leading to impractical expectations, overlooked deadlines, and cost overruns (Tharanga, 2018). One more issue is poor communication amidst squad members, leading to miscomprehension, delays, and errors in the software. In addition, technological changes or needs may develop during the development procedure, making the software outdated or incompatible. Lastly, security issues can develop if proper security measures are not executed during the SDLC and leave the software endangered to cyberattacks. Such possible issues in the system development life cycle indicate the essence of careful planning, effectual communication, pliability, and security actions, ensuring victorious software development.
Ways in which Nurses Can Assist Overcome Issues in the SDLC Process
Nurses play a crucial role in the execution of new health information technology systems. They are the main users of the systems, having a deep comprehension of the nursing workflow and patient care procedure. Accordingly, nurses can assist in overcoming issues in the system development life cycle process by ardently facilitating all stages of the SDLC procedure (Assal & Chiasson, 2018). Nurses can offer valuable insights into the nursing workflow and recognize potential areas of enhancement in the current system. They can also offer input on system needs and design stipulations based on their distinctive requirements and encounters. In addition, nurses can offer feedback throughout the testing and execution stages, ensuring the new health information technology systems meets their requirements and support their workflow. Involving nurses in all stages of the SDLC procedure can recognize and address possible issues on time, resulting in a more victorious execution and enhanced patient care procedure.
Conclusion
The victorious execution of electronic health information technology needs heedful planning and implementation. The systems development life cycle offers a framework for organizations to run, as it ensures that the accurate system is chosen and befittingly used. The involvement of nurses is essential in each stage of the procedure. Lack of including nurses can lead to severe issues like lack of buy-in from end-users, insufficient tutoring, and minimized patient safety. Including nurses, organizations can gain from their expertise and insights, enabling them to recognize possible issues and enhance the quality of patient care. Accordingly, organizations should range the inclusion of nurses in the systems development life cycle to gain victorious health information technology execution.
References
Assal, H., & Chiasson, S. (2018, August). Security in the Software Development Lifecycle. In SOUPS@ USENIX Security Symposium (pp. 281-296).
Fennelly, O., Cunningham, C., Grogan, L., Cronin, H., O’Shea, C., Roche, M., … & O’Hare, N. (2020). Successfully implementing a national electronic health record: a rapid umbrella review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 144, 104281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104281
Zhang, P., Schmidt, D. C., White, J., & Lenz, G. (2018). Blockchain technology use cases in healthcare. In Advances in Computers (Vol. 111, pp. 1-41). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adcom.2018.03.006
Hardiker, N. R., Dowding, D., Dykes, P. C., & Sermeus, W. (2019). Reinterpreting the nursing record for an electronic context. International journal of medical informatics, 127, 120-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.04.021
Kramer, M. (2018). Best practices in systems development lifecycle: An analysis based on the waterfall model. Review of Business & Finance Studies, 9(1), 77-84.
Malinda Burt, M. N. E., Keren McCord LCSW, O. C., & Fromme, E. K. (2019, May). Enhancing advance care planning conversations by nurses in a bone marrow transplantation unit. In Oncology nursing forum (Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 288-297). Oncology Nursing Society.
Tharanga, D. (2018). A Case study of factors affecting to improve job satisfaction of employees on scope creep software development projects (Doctoral dissertation).
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