NURS 6421: Supporting Workflow in Healthcare Systems | Week 5

Maps, diagrams, and models are useful because they can capture the intricacies of complex systems and concepts in a simple, manageable way. For example, a road map illustrates the placement of streets and landmarks in relation to each other to allow drivers to better navigate unfamiliar territory. Similarly, workflow models can be used to show the interconnected steps that relate to a specific health care process or task and enable nurse informaticists to identify and analyze gaps.

This week you explore how workflow models are created and used in the health care field. You analyze the importance of accuracy and clarity in workflow modeling, and you consider strategies for creating more effective workflow models. Part 1 of the Course Project (Gap Analysis Plan) is due in this week. In addition, you may begin working on Part 2 of the Course Project.

Learning Objectives – Workflow Modeling Nursing Essay NURS 6421 Week 5 Assignment

Students will:

• Evaluate a workflow model for accuracy and clarity
• Analyze the importance of accuracy and clarity in workflow modeling
• Formulate strategies for overcoming challenges to workflow modeling in health care
• Develop a Gap Analysis Plan for a specific workflow issue
• Develop a workflow model draft using Visio

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Roth, R. M. (2015). Systems analysis and design (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

• Chapter 5, “Process Modeling” (pp. 153–186)This chapter introduces the most common process-modeling techniques. In particular, there is emphasis on the data flow diagram and how it is developed and used.

Helmers, S. (2011). Microsoft Visio 2010 step by step. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.

• Chapter 3, “Adding Sophistication to your Drawing” (pp. 69–110)This chapter focuses on creating a diagram that is both professional and accurate. Topics covered include adding and using text boxes, inserting fields, and grouping shapes.
• Chapter 4, “Drawing the Real World: Flowcharts and Organization Charts” (pp. 111–142)The focus of this chapter is creating accurate flowcharts and organization charts. It explains how to create and use swimlanes. It also covers the development of organization charts and how they can be stylized.
• Chapter 5, “Adding Style, Color, and Themes” (pp. 143–170)This chapter demonstrates how to change the color, types of lines, and over all format of a drawing. It also covers the use of Visio themes.

Benyoucef, M., Kuziemsky, C., Rad, A. A., & Elsabbahi, A. (2011). Modeling healthcare processes as service orchestrations and choreographies. Business Process Management Journal, 17(4), 568–597.

Remodeling health IT systems for optimal health care delivery requires an assessment of both the health care organization and the usability of the available technology. This article evaluates ways of combining web-service-based health care processes to best suit the needs of service-specific health care organizations.

Unertl, K. M., Weigner, M. B., Johnson, K.B., & Lorenzi, N. M. (2009). Describing and modeling workflow and information flow in chronic disease care. Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, 16(6), 826–836.

This article evaluates how workflow and work practices in chronic disease care can be improved through the use of informatics tools. It also focuses on studies that discern potential real-world benefits of health information technology (HIT).

Vankipuram, M., Kahol, K., Cohen, T., & Patel, V. L. (2011). Toward automated workflow analysis and visualization in clinical environments. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 44(3), 432–440.

In this article, the authors offer a framework for improving workflow analysis. It combines cognitive decision making, movement, and interaction and communication. The authors used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research practices to gather the data for analysis.

Required Media – Workflow Modeling Nursing Essay NURS 6421 Week 5 Assignment

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012d). A workflow diagram. Baltimore, MD: Author.

This multimedia piece continues to build on the scenario introduced in Week 1. In this segment, the health care facility creates a workflow diagram with assessment that maps the current workflow.

Note: Please click on the following link for the transcript:

Document: Transcript (PDF)

Optional Resources

There are a wide variety of online tutorials available to assist you with using Visio. Below are two you might consider, as needed:

Microsoft. (2011). The Visio 2010 MVP sessions. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/

This free resource, developed by Microsoft, provides video tutorials in the use of all aspects of Visio 2010.

Edson, D. (2011). Visio 2010 essential training. Retrieved from http://www.lynda.com/Visio-2010-tutorials/Essential-Training/75921-2.html

This series of videos provides detailed instruction on all aspects of Visio use. This resource requires a paid subscription.

Discussion: Workflow Modeling

Workflow modeling is widely used throughout many different types of businesses, including health care organizations, to visually summarize the steps of complex processes and systems. When constructing a workflow model, it is important to ensure that the model accurately reflects the actual steps in a process.

In this Discussion, you consider a case study of a health care clinic and its process for ordering medical supplies. You then examine a workflow model that is meant to reflect that process and analyze the model’s accuracy based on the information in the case study. You also analyze the importance of accurate workflow modeling and consider strategies for creating accurate workflow models for health care processes.

Case Study:

Deerborne Dialysis is a local dialysis clinic that is part of a larger health care network, Buckeye Health. Buckeye Health executives have recently been examining the processes by which organizations within the network manage their supplies. Deerborne Dialysis was identified as an exemplary model of efficient supply management, and Buckeye Health executives have requested a workflow model of how Deerborne Dialysis handles their supply management process.

Sharon is the nurse who oversees the process of ordering and stocking supplies for Deerborne Dialysis. She knows the process well and developed a description of the steps in the supply management process. First, Sharon conducts a daily check of the supplies in the storage room. If there is a supply that is running low, Sharon submits an order to the medical supplier. When the clinic receives the shipment, Sharon unpacks the shipment and cross-checks the supplies that were shipped with the supplies that were ordered. If there is a discrepancy, the entire shipment must be returned to the medical supplier, who then rushes a new shipment to the clinic to be received the next day. If there is no discrepancy, or once the new shipment is received, unpacked, and cross-checked, Sharon stocks the shelves in the storage room and gives the supply bill to the clinic’s accountant, who ensures that the medical supplier receives payment.

Sharon has created the following workflow model to reflect the steps she goes through to manage the clinic’s inventory of supplies:

To prepare:

• Review the case study above and examine the workflow model that is meant to reflect the process described in the case study.
• Identify problems with the workflow model. How could the model be revised to be more accurate, clear, and effective?
• Reflect on the importance of creating an accurate workflow model of health care processes. What are the challenges involved in workflow modeling? What are the consequences of inaccurate workflow models?
• Consider strategies that you can use to ensure that workflow models are effective and accurate.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3

Post a summary of at least three specific problems you identified in the workflow model. Describe how the model could be revised to address those problems. Analyze the importance of accuracy and clarity in workflow modeling, and describe at least one strategy you plan to use to ensure that the workflow models you create are accurate and clear.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days. Provide any additional thoughts you have on the issues with the workflow model from the case study and the importance of accurate workflow modeling. Offer at least one additional strategy to your colleagues’ postings that could promote more accurate, effective workflow modeling for health care processes. Workflow Modeling Nursing Essay NURS 6421 Week 5 Assignment.

 

ADDITIONAL INFO 

Workflow Modeling in Healthcare

Introduction

The healthcare industry is one of the most complex sectors to work in. It requires a lot of attention and commitment from employees, especially when it comes to data integrity. An accurate workflow model consists of all the steps that need to be taken during a patient’s treatment process and this can help in improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness in your organization.

Workflow modeling becomes an essential requirement in healthcare when the need for a more efficient and cost-effective system arises.

Workflow modeling becomes an essential requirement in healthcare when the need for a more efficient and cost-effective system arises. The healthcare industry is one of the most complex sectors to work in, with a huge amount of data being processed by different systems and applications. The biggest challenge for health care organizations is to maintain data integrity while at the same time keeping up with changing technology trends.

The healthcare industry is one of the most complex sectors to work in.

The healthcare industry is one of the most complex sectors to work in. It’s highly regulated and demands a high level of understanding from its employees at all levels. Healthcare workers are expected to be able to manage both technical aspects of their job, such as equipment maintenance or patient care, along with more emotional issues such as compassion and communication skills. This can make it difficult for workers who have not been trained specifically for this type of environment before entering into an actual clinical setting (such as nursing schools).

The diversity within this field means that there are many different people who need help navigating through the system—from physicians’ assistants working on an outpatient basis at clinics or hospitals; through medical researchers studying new treatments; all the way down through nurse managers helping staff manage workflow processes by implementing best practices across facilities nationwide!

The biggest challenge for health care organizations is to maintain data integrity.

The biggest challenge for health care organizations is to maintain data integrity. Data integrity is the ability to maintain the integrity of data over time, and this can be difficult in healthcare because of the sheer volume of data and its complexity. The workflow model should be designed with these considerations in mind so it’s easy for you to keep track of who has access to which documents or records, without having any problems with errors or gaps in information.

An accurate workflow model consists of the following aspects:

A workflow model is a representation of the workflow in an organization. It can be used to identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

It is a graphical representation of the workflow, which can be used to understand how things work together in your organization.

A proper workflow model can be useful across various applications in a healthcare organization:

Workflow management is critical for healthcare organizations. It helps to ensure that patients are receiving the care they need, in the right order, and that staff members are working efficiently. The more efficient all of these processes are, the better they can help you meet your goals.

Workflow models have been used in many different industries over time because they can help simplify complex processes or systems by providing clear guidelines for who does what when and where (in other words: workflow). This makes it easier for people who need information about these processes—such as doctors or nurses—to understand how everything works together rather than just having everything handed off from one person’s desk at another person’s desk again (which is what happens now).

Efficient workflow management in healthcare is crucial to improving patient flow.

A key benefit of workflow modeling is that it improves patient flow, which in turn leads to improved patient satisfaction and operational efficiency. This can have many benefits for the healthcare industry as a whole: improved operational efficiency can mean more efficient processes for billing and collections, which translates into higher profits for hospitals. Improved financial performance means that hospitals are able to spend more money on research & development projects, which will help them stay ahead of their competitors in the marketplace. Finally, this increased investment in R&D has been shown to lead directly back toward better health outcomes for patients—and all without any extra effort on your part!

Conclusion

Healthcare organizations face many challenges, including managing workflow. In order to manage workloads efficiently, healthcare organizations need to use workflow modeling software that provides a comprehensive framework for their processes.