Irresistible: Change Management for Digital Health

Health organizations are inherently complex because of the diversity of actors within a health facility, the power health professionals have over decision-making, and external governance and control factors, such as health laws or professional association regulations that govern professional practices. As a result, changing one process affects a range of professional practices. Any project team in charge of implementing an electronic health record system or related system must be aware of this complexity and be prepared with the specific tools necessary to facilitate the adoption of the new technology and processes. In other words, the team will need to be well versed in change management, which is a process that facilitates peoples adaptation to change. Because it is ultimately people who enable transformative processes, such as those necessary for adopting health information systems, change cannot happen without the support of people in an organization. This manual summarizes the principles, strategies, skills, and tools that decision makers need to ensure that all aspects of an HER system implementation are a success.