Responding to Resistance to Change
The business of healthcare is dynamic and responsive to the needs of both internal and external customers. Although healthcare systems do engage in competition for healthcare dollars, an emergency may arise, causing all competitive strategies to be set aside for the purpose of sustaining life and wellbeing. Healthcare entities often share information to improve the health of patients. A push for better electronic health information exchange (HIE) is challenging all healthcare entities to implement structured electronic patient medical records (www.healthit.gov). While some early adapters embraced this change with enthusiasm, others resist the implementation of electronic medical charting as a replacement to their paper medical records. Let us examine some supportive responses towards resistance encountered during electronic medical record (EMR) implementation events to include discomfort with uncertainty, perceived negative effect on interest, and lack of clarity as to what is expected (Palmer, I, Dunford,R., & Akin, G. 2009). Discomfort with uncertainty causes resistance to move towards electronic charting because
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A response to this notion of retirement include, “well, let us get through the next few days before we plan the retirement party, and hopefully you will change your mind”.
Perceived negative effect on interests has some physicians complain that learning the new charting process slows down the patient encounter. They will express an opinion of less satisfaction during the patient visit because the computer screen distracts from the doctor patient relationship. Some have mentioned how unnatural it feels to have a computer monitor in an exam room. This author will allow the physician to share observations about the initial slowness of a new process, acknowledge the impact of learning, while offering encouragement of the future benefit. This response helps to subside some of the