More IT or Reduce Paperwork?
At a dinner party last weekend celebrating my Fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, Founder's Day, conversation topics ranged from fraternity business to politics. One comment got me thinking. To paraphrase:
"If I didn't have to do so much paperwork, I would continue to work for many more years"-said by a long time Nurse to another Nurse.
As someone who is in health care IT, I could argue that the answer is just more IT systems eliminating the paper. With the current economic benefits found in the stimulus plan for health care IT that may not be such a bad idea. But, to put in any IT system with the idea to replace/reduce paper sometimes is not as easy as it sounds. I find that people would like to get rid of paper with technology, but don't want to learn new systems. There is just not enough "buy-in" by the actual users of the in IT system.
I often wonder would if it be better to take a two prong approach. First, reduce unneeded paperwork. Then, consider what IT systems could replace paper.
Regardless we must have the users of the IT systems to 'buy-in" and want to make the change. Everyone will have to get out of their comfort zone and realize that in order to make their dream of less paper one will have to learn how to use the new technology.
