I spent a lifetime as an IT developer before I landed my present gig as technical writer in a health IT company. I can tell you from experience, that for many development teams, the implementation date is the biggie that the developers are racing against. And yet, the real fun often starts post-implementation. It’s not that different even with EMR implementation, you’ll be happy to know, at least according to this article at CMIO.net
According to the story, here’s what happened at Hospital Sisters Health System in Wisconsin and Illinois: A couple of months after their CPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry) and EHR went live, the CIO received a letter with listing 38 issues faced by physicians using the EMR, with an ultimatum that these problems be fixed within two weeks. Half were known issues, and another quarter were training related. But even so, “The installation team was taken aback by the letter, including the physician champion.”
Now, not every IT project is like the one described but here are some lessons worth repeating from the Hospital Sisters example:
- Prepare, prepare, prepare: That there will be unexpected issues is a given. The problem is not that issues crop up. How prepared you are – knowing how, when, who will handle glitches – is the difference between success and failure.
- Train Your Users: I honestly get turned off when someone utters “It’s self-explanatory, really,” when it’s related to a software product. Yes, it might be, to you, tech geek, but not everyone was born with the chip embedded in their being. Expect to spend some time training your end users. Well-structured training sessions not only impart the know-how but can also be crucial rapport-building occasions with your buyers.
- Support Your Users: After the initial euphoria of product launch, using your product might actually bring down the productivity some as users get used to using your product on a regular basis.
