Implementing a Computerized Triage System in the Emergency Department

Information Technology (IT) solutions are rapidly being developed for different health care applications throughout the country’s hospitals. The development and implementation of IT applications go through different phases. To successfully implement an IT application, these phases have to be merged with process re-engineering and organizational changes. The required organizational changes are critical to the overall success of IT implementation projects, but the required efforts to achieve the institutional level of commitment remain underestimated and, as a result, often cause unforeseen outcomes and implementation failures. From the very first moments of an IT implementation effort, the technological system capabilities must be tightly coupled with change processes and user involvement. Although common sense supports the idea that the IT application should support a health care provider in caring for patients, it frequently occurs that health care providers are asked to support the IT application. This may lead to the design of systems that have a lower degree of user acceptance and data integrity.