EHR Lessons Learned: Week 5

Navy Capt. Michael Weiner
DHIMS Deputy Program Manager and Chief Medical Officer

April 28, 2010 - In my previous blogs, I’ve emphasized the work flow many times now and covered the advantages of an intuitive system. This week let’s examine training means we know health care providers are most comfortable with.

The See One, Do One, Teach One Training Philosophy

Those in a medical profession have often heard the philosophy of see one, do one, teach one. The reason is because it works. From an educational perspective, this method addresses the needs of visual and auditory learners and those requiring a hands-on, kinesthetic approach. Knowing how to train is great, because no matter how intuitive an EHR system is, proper training remains critical.

Proper training to get the most from an EHR and to increase provider satisfaction seems like a given but getting to the right mix of training within the Military Health System led us down some bumpy roads. The key lesson we learned was that maximum success and rapid adoption come from a hybrid mix of classroom, one-on-one, over-the-shoulder and computer-based training. This mixtures gets the staff up and running faster than standard institution-led training from my experience. Even training in short bursts at busy military treatment facilities (comparable to civilian doctors offices and hospitals) provides each user with an adequate amount of knowledge. Computer or Web-based training provides early familiarization before purchasing a new system, and removes some of the fear factor.

Early introduction combined with reinforcement through the classroom, one-on-one and hands-on learning seem to lead to greater satisfaction and as a result, the ability to maximize the benefits of the EHR increase tremendously. Regardless of the fact that EHRs usability and benefit increase with the right mix of training, at the end of the day, my primary concern is the welfare of my fellow service members who are risking their lives for our country. A successful EHR helps me to ensure they get the best that I can give.

Getting the training right needs to be high on your list of priorities for your EHR community, but you also need to consider the speed of the Web. Next week, I will offer more insight into the Web as it relates to EHRs.