Nurses Connect for EHR and EMR Adoption
Anne Tran Fazzalari
Clinical Adoption - Project Manager, End User Strategy
Canada Health Infoway
Leadership from clinicians with a strong interest and commitment to using clinical information systems is key to the adoption, integration and successful utilization of health information technologies. In an effort to support clinicians in the adoption of electronic health record (EHR) and electronic medical record (EMR) solutions, Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) developed the Clinician Peer Support Network.
The peer-to-peer initiative is a community of nurses, physicians, pharmacists and other health care providers working together to create a strong, supported network of health care providers across Canada to accelerate the adoption of the EHR.
About Canada Health Infoway
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) is an independent, federally funded, not-for-profit organization whose members are Canada's 14 Deputy Ministers of Health.
Infoway's mission is to foster and accelerate the developement and adoption of pan-Canadian electronic health information systems. Visit their website at: http://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/
More than 250 peer leaders are involved in 10 jurisdictional peer networks. These clinicians - 19 per cent of whom are nurses, 62 per cent physicians, 6 per cent pharmacists and 13 per cent clinic managers - were selected to engage their peers in the use of EHR systems in practice settings.
Peer leaders provide hands-on change management, leadership and transition support. Leveraging their own experiences and from other successful implementations, peer leaders provide mentoring on a one-to-one basis or with larger audiences through conferences, workshops, or on-line learning such as webinars. They also participate in jurisdictional projects to promote the use of HER systems and collaborate with other stakeholders. Overall, they act as ambassadors to promote the benefits of EHRs or EMRs in health care delivery.
Here in Ontario, the RNAO is leading the nurse peer network. The objective is to promote and foster awareness among the province's nurses of EHR systems in their practice setting. 14 nurse peer leaders, each within one of Ontario's Local Health Integration Networks are broadening the reach into the nursing community. Complementing RNAO's efforts are the Ontario MD physician initiative and the Ontario Pharmacists Association peer-to-peer network.
Ontario's nurse peer network is joined by Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland in having implemented peer networks involving nursing. These networks use either a nursing specific or an interdisciplinary model and are composed of registered nurses, registered practical nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and other nursing leaders.
Since the establishment of the national program two years ago, the Networks have been valuable in helping to identify barriers and exchanging information on the application of EHR systems; sharing leading practices and building new knowledge; communicating stories demonstrating accelerated uptake in Canada; and creating a collaborative environment to support adoption and integration to improve patient care, outcomes and knowledge based practice.
The initial lessons collectively learned from this initiative include the need to:
- Collaborate with a diversity of stakeholder groups when implementing EHR solutions that includes regional health authorities, professional associations, regulatory bodies and vendors;
- Consider realistic timelines for "going live," engage a local champion and enable clinicians to apply what they've learned,
- Use a team-based approach when mentoring to reflect the realities of clinical practice; and
- Consider rural context, which may differ from an urban site (e.g. a sole practitioner lacking colleagues to share costs, staff wages or local IT support).
This fall, Infoway launched an online forum for the Clinician Peer Support Network. The forum provides a centralized and coordinated community of practice for Network members to communicate with one another about such matters as challenges, lessons learned, and meeting materials. Access to the forum is open to Infoway Passport holders. Visit www.infowayinforoute.ca to sign-up for a free Passport account. Any questions related to the online Forum or the Clinician eHealth Support Network can be sent to peernetwork@infoway-inforoute.ca.