Northern Health is approximately 11 months away from launching our Electronic Medical Record (EMR). As we continue to work closely with our Subject Matter Experts and Accountable Leaders to design and validate system workflows, from now until July, the team is also planning for operational readiness for the high-risk workflows with respective owners to ensure impacted areas are well prepared for go-live.
Implementing an EMR is a big change for Northern Health. From a Change Management perspective, it is normal for us to be feeling uneasy and uncertain about change, whether it be big or small. We want to make sure our staff feel supported during the transition to the EMR, which is why it is important for us to understand how you are feeling about the EMR on a regular basis.
The team conducted the first EMR survey in August 2021, where we received 328 responses. Last month, we had the opportunity to conduct the second EMR survey and we had an amazing response from the organisation. Thanks to the joint effort of Public Affairs and the Volunteers team, we received more than 730 staff responses to the EMR survey!
Over 93 per cent of respondents have heard about the EMR and the majority know how the EMR will impact them (56 per cent). More than half of the respondents believe the EMR will have a positive impact on their work and support it. It was thrilling to also see such a high manager commitment towards the project, with 92 per cent agreeing their managers are supportive of implementing an EMR.
With the data and feedback provided by our staff, we are able to dive in and take a closer look at how we can provide better support to the areas that might be missing the EMR communications. Some feedback and suggestions from our respondents in ways the EMR team can better engage them include more regular updates on implementation dates, hosting EMR awareness events, and highlighting EMR benefits.
Cliff Wiltshire, EMR Training Manager, noted a spike in requests for individual EMR updates within the organisation.
“Some areas have already started planning their operational readiness, which shows the organisation is excited and keen to learn more about the EMR,” Cliff said.
As the EMR team, Accountable Leaders and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) continue to design and build the EMR, there is a lot to be communicated to our staff.
The EMR website was launched in April last year, acting as a single source of truth for the project. Since launch, the team has been adding new content, such as FAQs, system demos, EMR training, and much more. If you have any suggestions or if there is more information that you would like to see, please email Ginnie.Leung@nh.org.au.
Trish Aldridge, EMR Director, expressed her thanks to our staff for taking their time to complete the survey and congratulated the four lucky hamper winners.
“We did not expect to receive such good responses for the survey, and we thank those who have taken the time to participate. A huge congratulations to our hamper winners. We hope the hampers will brighten up your day,” she said.
Featured image: Volunteer Mandy helping staff with the EMR survey.
One of our lucky winners, Naomi Burns, Nurse at the Surgical Centre at Broadmeadows Hospital, receiving the hamper.A heartfelt thank you to our Northern Health volunteers for helping the team with the survey launch.
