Background Since the introduction of a new state-wide electronic health record (EHR) at our local health network (LHN), clinicians are required to learn and adapt to the new way of doing things. COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the digitization of healthcare and many aspects of our life. This has created opportunities and a different approach of doing things.
Change Instead of being a passive adopter of digital change. I made it a personal mission to upskill and be as involved in the forefront as possible. From committing to structured learning to being involved in network and department wide digital and clinical informatics related meetings, I have been able to collaborate and develop an understanding of various improvements, possibilities and challenges in this space. Acronym expansion, custom Print my list, morning TEAMS snapshot and Power BI dashboard are few examples of innovative and opportunistic use of technology and data available for clinicians.
Learnings Clinicians should embrace the digitization of healthcare and be encouraged to engage in its roll out in all stages. Whilst benefits of HIT are often highlighted, it is also important to acknowledge its limitations and potential contribution to clinician stress. The stress can, in part, result from inefficient work processes related to the suboptimal implementation and use of HIT. Rather than working in silos, we should be working collaboratively to look at clinically relevant, efficient and practical solutions for our diverse group of clinicians and patients to minimise the digital divide.