System Implementation: User Training

Introduction 

System implementation in an organization is an essential aspect and goal that requires effective organization and user training. Systems are either upgrades or new systems that improve business processes and maximize productivity while solving inherent problems. Many mistakes experienced among institutions are preceding user training processes terming it costly as they assume employees can learn on their won. However, this assumption creates room for future problems not only in the implementation process but also during operationalization (Hodgins, 2016). Therefore, user training helps realize the benefits of integrating a new system, gives them a chance to habituate to the system, which will assist in solving network-related problems. Concisely, user training maximizes effective system implementation, eliminates possible employee resistance, misunderstanding, challenges, and doubts.

Case Analysis 

This assignment designs a user-training plan in response to system implementation in Georgia Teaching and Referral Hospital (GTRH). GTRH is a medical research center and healthcare facility-providing emergency, in patients, and outpatient services. The facility serves about 10,000 patients, 100 nurses, and 40 doctors. GTRH experiences processing problems due to many medical and patient files stored in cabinets. Having 10,000 files results in misplacement of files, backlogs of transactions, and decreased efficacy. In response, the facility hopes integrating an Electronic Record System (ERS) would help solve these problems, enhance efficiency and speed operations. Besides, freeing the cabinets and digitalizing the records will free up space that would increase patient capacity. The ERS is an electronic system that will include medical data for all patients and medical research. The system will capture information such as diagnosis, patient progress notes, medical histories, laboratory reports, financial transactions, and other medical-related reports (Kenichiro, 2020). The system will automate clinical processes that will enhance data search, information access, and sharing, as well as speeding up operations for over 10,000 patients and improve user experience.

User-Training Plan 

ERS implementation will require practical and comprehensive user training to maximize system implementation success. Planning for the training session will consider many factors, namely, activities of the actual exercise, content necessary; methods that would be incorporated, locations, schedule and timeline, resources needed, and digitalized training aspects. The GTRH training plan will consider the training of 140 staff, hence requires choosing training strategies that will fulfill all developed goals, objectives, and needs of the employees without stopping normal hospital operations (Hodgins, 2016). Critical resources required include financial and nonfinancial resources such as wages for the trainers and system replicas for effective processes. Deciding on the most appropriate methodology also requires considering an active schedule favorable to all 140 employees and the trainers without interfering with normal operations. Content planning is also essential, as the hospital’s management expects trainers to cover all possible information concerning using components, benefits, potential issues, and alignment of ERS with hospital business models and objectives.

Expected content to be trained will align with the primary objective of this implementation process, which is installing an electronic medical system to help in effective record keeping of patient’s data and speed up operations through easy information access and retrieval. Therefore, content to be taught includes how to integrate patients’ data into the system, encryption codes and methodology employees will use, and safety measures to maximize information privacy and user confidentiality. This will eliminate possible errors in data piracy and hacking. Finally, staff must be trained on how using the ERS will maximize comprehensive and high-quality care delivery among patients, as well as information awareness.

Training methods to be used include on-job training strategies to avoid altering regular operation schedules in the hospital and offer a better balance, which will be achieved through shifts training of small groups. Hence, training schedules will include weekends and evening sessions. Lectures will be integrated to provide the staff with cognitive theories and knowledge of the system, its applicability, and viability in the hospital (Hodgins, 2016). Practical training will also be incorporated, which will include role-plays, computer-aided training, programmed training, demonstrative learning, and visuals to maximize retention and remembrance among the staff. Computer-assisted training will be imperative as it helps employees understand the integration, fusion, and delivery of the system through computers. ERS is a software system that will operate effectively and deliver its purpose through a computer, hence, showing the essentiality of computer-assisted training (Kenichiro, 2020).

Training sessions will be conducted mostly internally; thus, the location is identified to minimize the high costs and resources required. However, in case practical experiences are necessary, external training will be planned to include visiting referral hospitals that already use the ERS. External training will help in acquiring skills and extensive learning through external interaction and relations. Training resources required are both human and nonhuman resources. The resources include five trainers, each to handle 28 employees, financial support to cover trainer wages, motivational perquisites for employees, external visiting fees, follow-up fees, and equipment necessary to facilitate the training process.

The hospital management requires the five trainers to be well equipped and comprehensive for effectiveness and efficacy. Thus, trainer training will require added resources and an experienced SME to train them on training scope, objectives, goals, content to be covered, and expected outcomes of the actual training, which will be conducted three days before practical sessions. Once the preparation and process planning are achieved as per the set schedule, the real training will be held as per the project charter and defined scope. In case timelines and schedules are not met, extra time will be required as well as resources, a section of emergency planning that will be included. Moreover, continuous learning and periodic ongoing training will be conducted during follow up sessions to ensure the translation of knowledge into practice among employees is expertly done, developed success factors are met, and any errors are corrected.

System Integration and Maintenance 

Successful and effective system implementation requires harmonious operations and infusion of system hardware and software. Primarily, while ensuring that all hardware work harmoniously and effectively, changes and modifications will be made. The system must achieve the set goals and objectives as well as align with the hospital’s mission and business model. In addition, a modification will help the system be competent and friendly to medical practitioners and patients. Secondly, effective coordination and configuration between software and hardware devices will be ensured for maximized ERS effectiveness (Kenichiro, 2020). Integration and harmonious operation will focus on implementing the ERS on medical practitioners and system developers for maximized understanding and performance. Ensuring that all computer systems meet functional requirements and RFP specifications, two objectives are considered. Firstly, installation and all infusion-related activities will be conducted internally, in the hospital to ensure they are done in the defined goals; they align with the success criteria, and the system serves the primary purposes it was designed for. System behaviors and outputs must align with specified conditions and address all problems adequately. Secondly, a backup model and program will be installed for effective system coordination and to help when the main ERS fails or is overloaded. The ERS system will not only ensure record keeping but also will integrate all functions in the hospital, providing a chance to share information and data across departments. Thus, a backup system will eliminate any system breakdown and effect continuous application (Kenichiro, 2020).

Information and data transfer from older systems into the new system can be challenging and susceptible to errors and risks; hence, require useful tool and mitigation strategies. Efficient data transfer between system interfaces will be achieved through two vital strategies; firstly, data transfer techniques to be incorporated include real-time data transfer, incremental data transfer, and propagation of progressive transfer. A real-time transmission will manage and control information as well as offer successful application based transmission; incremental batch transfer will be integrated when transferring hospital data from the source to target storage (Kenichiro, 2020). Finally, the propagation of the incremental strategy will help when low data transfer is recorded. Hence, consistency will be managed throughout the ERS operations, consequently, increasing performance and effectiveness. Secondly, native data replication will be considered to maximize data and information availability. The hospital experiences emergency services that require readily available data and information, whereby data stores must be synced regularly and align with currency.

Data transfer from the old system to the new ERS will be facilitated through maximized data summarization stored in standard format files, chart note data to effectively organize data, and redesigning workflow during transfer processes. Total commitment is required during this process to eliminate possible errors and misinformation. Hence smooth data transfer will be facilitated through the capture and transfer of legacy data. Sleek data pieces being moved will maximize the transfer’s effectiveness and success; however, a conversion test strategy must be integrated to optimize and verify each data transfer stage. System overload is expected, which is a severe risk requiring an effective mitigation strategy (Kenichiro, 2020). To ensure the ERS works effectively even under pressure and presence of stress loads, capacity testing will be conducted on ERS to uncover defects and misalignments through test planning and defect management processes. Once stress loads are revealed, risk management software such as GUL and transactional batch will be used as stress control and management tools. Finally, verifying that the ERS works in the specified setting and environment will include the evaluation of the system’s workability levels through test plans and documentation of its performance. Testing resources must be accorded to offer effective test processes, where the system’s performance is evaluated against set goals and purposes.

References

Hodgins, L. S. (2016). Identifying End-User Training Best Practices for Enterprise Systems: Improving User Adoption. International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems., 1-52.

Kenichiro, F. K. (2020). The Improvement of the Electronic Health Record User Experience by Screen Design Principles. Journal of Medical Systems, Vol 44(1).