The Military Health System began rolling out its new electronic health record system, MHS GENESIS, in 2017.
Quality training for both providers and patients is essential to the successful incorporation and ongoing use of MHS GENESIS in MHS treatment.
Peer training by local and regional specialists in the new EHR, as well as exploiting data and insights generated through clinical informatics, are two essential components of the training users will need to make the most of MHS GENESIS.
Providers' capacity to learn and spread best practices for using MHS GENESIS is greatly enhanced by the addition of clinical informatics to peer training. Together, the two organizations can better improve readiness, expand access, enhance care, and save costs if they have this information. The mission of the MHS is to facilitate a better transition to care and increase the number of quality time doctors and nurses spend with their patients.
Less than one percent of the time, we really have the patient or caretaker in front of us, making it all the more crucial to teach them how to take care of themselves. The remaining one hundred and ninety-plus percent of their time is spent with friends and family, therefore we need to do everything in our power to encourage them to adopt healthy routines during this time.
Peer Training
Evidence-based education, in which experts in the field train healthcare providers, who in turn train patients, is the most effective strategy toward this goal.
Studies on the efficacy of peer trainers show that adults learn best in one-on-one or small-group situations, where they are exposed to training based on scenarios and workflows.
Providers' peers are naturally the best sources of information regarding the scenarios and workflows encountered in each provider's unique role. Specialists in one area of MHS GENESIS can train colleagues in other departments to implement EHR best practices consistently.
At the moment of care, peer training includes built-in clinical decision support. These experts can promote user buy-in and adoption by distributing and discussing enterprise-wide best-practice templates, auto text, order sets, and similar tools. New providers joining MHS GENESIS can benefit from this course by learning how to make more informed decisions about their patients' diagnoses and treatments.
Computers in Health Care
The success of the new system depends in part on the providers' ability to use MHS GENESIS. Clinical informatics is also crucial because it teaches doctors how to use electronic health record data to enhance productivity and patient outcomes. Maximizing data quality is essential. We don't want anyone to make poor choices because of inaccurate information.
Clinical informaticists have a vested interest in and skill in the field of using better data to drive decisions, which is why training providers in this area is so vital. Instruction in analyzing current EHR procedures and learning to minimize redundant or harmful steps is part of this.
Teaching an enterprise-wide optimal standardized workflow is crucial because it ensures a consistent level of care throughout the organization. This enhances the final product.
Benefits
Expert peers in clinical informatics can greatly benefit their businesses by teaching MHS GENESIS to new and struggling users.
More effective collaboration among providers is a direct result of increased training. Reduced time spent on administrative tasks means better care and more legible notes for patients. Job contentment, burnout, and employee retention can all benefit from streamlined processes.
Patients benefit from increased one-on-one time with their doctors as a result of providers' increased productivity. Better care guided by accurate information and enhanced efficiency is the result of standardized documentation practices used in the electronic health record (EHR).
Taking the Plunge
Peer training supported by clinical informatics is a powerful tool for improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
In order for everyone to get the most out of the MHS system, organizations in the field need to "bite the bullet" and make it a requirement of employment that peer experts receive training in best practices, how to teach others, and in actually teaching others. It won't happen if specialists in the field are expected to do it as a secondary responsibility or on their own time.
In either an operational or garrison setting, success depends on having the proper training on the equipment needed for the mission. By the end of 2023, MHS GENESIS will have been rolled out to all MTFs across the United States. Currently, it is life in 74 MTF Commands. Contact the Defense Manpower Data Center for more information.