Date
11-26-2024
ESRP 9000 Professor
Daniel Turner, Ed.D.
ESRP 9001 Professor
Daniel Turner, Ed.D.
Executive Summary
Implementation of Staff Training and Development for Health Information Technology Systems, Heidi Ackzen, 2024: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler Collect of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: collaborative problem solving, community mental health clinic (CMHC), evidence-based practices, health information technology systems (HIT), infrastructure, IT support staff, mental illness, staff training and development
This strategic research project (SRP) aims to address the challenges of rural community mental health clinics in effectively using the health information technology systems by proposing the development of a comprehensive staff training and development program. The SRP aims to enhance systems’ operability, increase staff efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. The multifaceted project comprised a critical analysis of Aurora Health, a community mental health clinic serving a rural community with mental health needs, including inpatient and outpatient support. They were established in 1966 by volunteers to bring mental health services to a rural and isolated community. As time passed, the clinic expanded and rebranded, providing services in multiple cities, accepting private and public funding, and being recognized by multiple accrediting agencies. This SRP identified areas for growth through critical analysis, including connectivity, staff morale, and the inefficient health information technology system. After conducting a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats analysis, 40 internal and external factors were identified and scrutinized as either inhibiting or propelling the organization's sustainability and growth. Through the process, the 40 factors were filtered down to four. The problem can be seen as negatively impacting other areas within the clinic, including workforce shortages, unrealistic expectations, program development, and resilience. The essential benefits of improvement are increased patient safety, improved coordination of care and communication, and increased positive outcomes for patients. Next, four possible solutions to the concern were recognized and evaluated by researching the pros and cons of each. The four solutions to mitigate the problem are (a) increase staff training and development, (b) collaborative problem-solving, (c) increase information technology support staff team, and (d) improve the current health information technology system. One solution identified after the evaluation as the most beneficial was to increase staff training and development, as workforce talent is any organization's most valuable resource.
The next step of the SRP was to identify two strategies for successfully implementing the solution, change acceptance and infrastructure development, and then analyze them utilizing the quantitative strategic planning matrix, a strategic tool to analyze, evaluate, and prioritize the strategy's potential for achieving the goal. This process identifies change acceptance as the most beneficial strategy. Change acceptance has come to the forefront as it can improve staff engagement, reduce resistance, improve patient care, and improve training outcomes. A six-step action plan for successful implementation includes the goals, persons responsible, start date, end date, and desired outcome. A plan to assess progress was introduced to evaluate the implementation process and success of the SRP, including employee engagement surveys, tracking HIT support ticket submissions, and conducting regular audits of the associated electronic health records.
Document Type
Strategic Research Project-NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
College
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Concentration
Special Education
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Heidi Ackzen. 2024. Implementation of Staff Training and Development for Health Information Technology Systems. Capstone. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. (273)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_srp/273.
