Rethinking the Use of Electronic Health Records for Decision-Making in Health Services Management: A Concept Paper

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of Electronic Health Records across the healthcare industry, collecting massive amounts of data from patients, the promise of strategic data efficacy is yet to be fully unlocked. If anything, the process of gathering data is more of a burden to healthcare workers and hospitals due to the high costs of data collection, healthcare worker burnout and poor job satisfaction. The focus on data management is to meet regulatory requirements more than creating strategic value. Simultaneously, data is quickly becoming the next currency of power after land and money. Those with massive amounts of data stored, as well as the means to extract predictive insights from it have a significant advantage in the future. Therefore, with the current perception around data management as a burden in healthcare settings, the potential for biopower in strategic decision-making is underutilized. To change this, I propose a conceptual framework called the Burden-Value Shift Model (BVSM), where I apply TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) principles of PEOU (perceived ease of use) and PU (perceived usefulness) to a data governance framework of four keys pillars (data collection, data processing, data analysis and strategic feedback). With the right approach to collect, store and utilize data, the benefits materialized will not only be economic to the healthcare organizations, but behavioral and sociological as well. Healthcare workers will gain motivation while appreciating value of the work they do by seeing their actions transform into tangible outcomes. Additionally, patients themselves who are the primary data generators, will benefit from solutions extracted from the data. The key is to ensure that improvements are done across the board through enhancing both technology and human well-being. Examples include investing in automation to reduce human effort, creating trust through verification of data sources, extracting useful insights for better patient care and lower costs, while simultaneously providing feedback to healthcare employees creates a continuous positive loop across all pillars within the ecosystem. The ensuing principle emanating from BVSM in this case is that when the perceived as well as real effort to collect and utilize data on a micro level is low but the value high, it is likely to create a sustainable and efficient system with high utility on a macro level. The proposed framework links small actions of a nurse or healthcare manager clicking a data point to a larger impact across society.