4 October 2021

How are you feeling about our EMR?

Thank you to the staff who completed our recent survey to tell us how you feel about the EMR and where we can provide you with more support. This helps us greatly in planning the right communication for you. As most of you know, we started our EMR journey earlier this year and are in the design phase of the program. While there is currently a pause in our workshop schedule due to the hospital’s response to COVID-19, much of our EMR program work is continuing behind the scenes. 

Through the survey, we heard from 328 staff across disciplines and sites and we learnt that almost all respondents (97%) have heard about the EMR and most know how the EMR will impact their work (67%). The survey also reflected 63% of our employees know where to go for EMR information.   

As we are still in the early stages of designing our EMR workflows, there is much for us all still to learn about the specific benefits of an EMR and, while 13.5% of respondents expressed there will be some benefits for implementing the EMR, they are not sure if it would bring a positive change to Northern Health. 70% of respondents are starting to understand how their everyday work will change with an EMR, while 15.4% of the respondents are unsure how the EMR would impact their work. 

Elspeth Fink-Jensen, EMR Change Manager, says overall the survey responses show early confidence and positivity about the EMR. ‘We recognise we didn’t hear from all staff as it’s such a challenging time, and there is still a journey ahead of us and even though we know the EMR is beneficial for our organisation, it is still a significant change, so we will support staff with information and opportunities to see the EMR as much as we can.’ 

Please visit our EMR website throughout the implementation journey. It provides information ranging from how the EMR will impact different disciplines, to monthly information packs available for staff to view at their convenience.    

Due to the current COVID situation, the EMR champion live events are paused to ensure the wellbeing of our staff, while new information and recordings will continue. During this time, the EMR team will use the survey data to plan communications around the EMR, promoting the system, providing clarification and support per discipline, and what to expect in the coming months. 

‘We thank everyone who completed the survey. The information gathered is extremely valuable to us. We will be sending this survey out again next year which will hopefully be an easier time for staff and will give those who missed out a chance to respond,’ says Trish Aldridge, EMR Director. 

If you would like to find out more about Northern Health’s EMR, you can reach out to your local Accountable Leaders and Subject Matter Experts. Alternatively, if you have a question for the EMR team, email us at NH-EMRQuestions@nh.org.au.