I recently tweeted out a link to my article about Not All EHR Being Created Equal with some important comments about bad workflows and how many EHR users just think they’re “normal.” As social media is known to do, Martin A. Cody, extended the idea with an amazing analogy:
Poor workflows are like arthritis–you’ve just had it for so long you don’t remember what life is like to live ‘pain free’. Each office should issue efficiency bonuses to staff who improve workflows–especially those customer (patient) facing.
— Martin A. Cody Entrepreneur, Healthcare, Wine (@MCMadaket) July 28, 2021
This is such a great analogy. I’m not an expert on arthritis, but I’ve known enough people that deal with pain to understand that over time their reality is just feeling pain and they don’t know anything different. In fact, once a new therapy or treatment comes along that helps, it’s absolutely mind blowing for them because they don’t realize how much pain has just become part of their lives.
The same is true for many EHR users. They’ve been so conditioned with bad workflows that it just becomes part of their workflow. They often don’t realize what a pain it is for them. Then, along comes a better workflow and it’s mind blowing for them as an EHR user.
Of course, this applies well beyond the EHR workflow as well. I’ve seen the same thing happen with things like digital patient check-in. This new workflow is so much less painful for the patient and for the office staff. Similar to the above, as patients we’ve almost become immune to painful patient workflows and check-in processes. We just expect it to be a pain. Then, when a great workflow happens, it’s almost magical to us.
I love Martin A. Cody’s recommendation of rewarding staff who improve workflows. Doing so is great for your staff and great for patients. We need more of that in healthcare.
Well said. Part of the responsibility is the inability of the facility and/or practice to gainfully engage in creating them.