The results of the EMR Phase 2.1 survey are in, with hundreds of staff providing an insight into their awareness and perceptions of the EMR Phase 2.1 project – a big thanks to all staff that participated in the survey!

The survey ran over the first three months of 2022, with 548 staff taking part. Its purpose was to measure the level of awareness of EMR Phase 2.1 amongst Western Health staff, their understanding of the impact it will have on them and their perception of whether the change will be beneficial for their area. It will repeated in early 2023 to measure the effectiveness of change and communication activities in the second half of this year.

The results of the survey were encouraging, with around two-thirds of respondents having some awareness of Phase 2.1:

• 21% of respondents had heard of EMR Phase 2.1 and understood generally what is occurring
• 41% had heard of the project but did not know what was changing or what it involves
• 38% had not heard of EMR Phase 2.1.

Around three quarters of respondents stated that they did not understand how EMR Phase 2.1 would impact them and their area. This is unsurprising as the system is currently being built. Once the system build has been finalised, change and communication activities will increase with the aim of showcasing the new features of the EMR and associated workflow changes to all affected staff.

When asked to reflect on the impact the EMR Phase 2.1 project will have on their work area, 34% of respondents said they believed the project would have a positive impact, while a further 22% recognised there would be some benefits but were unsure at this time what they are. While 39% of respondents said that they did not know enough about EMR Phase 2.1 to comment on the benefits, this uncertainty is likely to diminish as change and communication activities increase in the second half of 2022.

Only 5% of respondents did not believe the EMR Phase 2.1 project would result in a positive change for their area.

Staff who completed the short survey were also given the opportunity to provide their own feedback through a free text box, with a broad cross-section of feedback gathered from across the organisation, including:

• Bring it on!
• Using one system instead of three has to be a positive change
• The EMR has tremendous potential and having the different areas of Western Health documenting in the EMR will streamline the way we provide healthcare
• Looking forward for the next chapter of EMR
• Concerned about increased workloads with no extra support
• Phase 2.1 will result in major workflow changes but the exact detail of these changes is still unknown
• Regular updates to be disseminated by immediate managers to teams would be great
• EMR carries benefits for the organisation however at times tricky

Apprehension and concern from staff about the change and how it will affect their work and ability to deliver patient care is normal and expected. The role of change management, communication and training is to support staff in developing their understanding and familiarity with the system and associated workflow changes so that they eventually feel more comfortable (and hopefully enthusiastic) about Go-Live and beyond.

In response to the survey, the Digital Health team has increased the content on the Digital Health information site, including a dedicated page for Western Health managers and a Presentations page with more detailed information on the project. More information has also been added to the project stream pages and more Frequently Asked Questions have also been added. The EMR Phase 2.1 project team will also be working closely with divisions affected by Phase 2.1 to develop targeted change and communication activities for their staff.

For staff interested in helping to promote the project and learn more about it, the Change Champion Network was launched recently and will receive monthly updates. Anyone who would like to join the Network can find out more here.

Recruitment for Super Users will also start in the coming months, for further information please visit the dedicated EMR Super User page on this information site.