Getting it right: Plan and implement a mobile device strategy that works

Transcription

1 Getting it right: Plan and implement a mobile device strategy that works August 2017

2 Contents Who owns the mobile device strategy? 3 Building blocks for a sound mobile device strategy 4 10 best practices for your mobile device strategy 6 Tips for structuring a successful device pilot 7 The final stages: Communication, training and support 8 Takeaways 9 Sources 9 A mobile device strategy checklist 10 perfectserve.com Published as a source of information only. The material contained herein is not to be construed as legal advice or opinion PerfectServe, Inc. All rights reserved. PerfectServe is a registered trademark of PerfectServe, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

3 More than 60 percent of hospitals across the U.S. now have formal mobile device strategies, a big jump from just five years ago. 1 The incorporation of mobile devices into standard communication workflows in most health systems typically starts as a bottom-up effort by physicians and user groups who want the convenience and efficiencies that go hand-in-hand with mobile devices. Some have even said that mobility is the next battleground for patient engagement. Although those user groups must garner the buy-in and support of the executive management team, getting everyone to agree that technology creates valuable efficiencies and simplifies communication is generally not the holdup. Uncovering and analyzing all the possible options, weighing the pros and cons, and settling on the best mobile device strategy for each organization can be the longest steps in the process. But it is definitely not a process that should be rushed. The consequences of getting it wrong can be disastrous for a hospital both financially and in terms of communication breakdowns. But getting it right can launch an organization to the forefront of the new digitized mobile healthcare ecosystem. Who owns the mobile device strategy? Developing, implementing and executing the mobile device strategy has traditionally been a task for IT leaders. Today given the need to communicate and collaborate quickly both within and beyond the hospital walls, the rise in BYOD requests across all departments of the hospital, and the complexity of security issues surrounding all clinical communications the development of a mobile device strategy should include input from the entire health system. Bringing in chief operating officers and other executives across the organization (including the board of directors) will ensure the final strategy suits everyone s needs and gains widespread adoption. While input for the strategy should come from all areas of a hospital, including user groups, it will still ultimately be IT s responsibility to implement and maintain a successful mobile device strategy. 3

4 Building blocks for a sound mobile device strategy Once teams have been assembled to develop a mobile device strategy, there are six fundamental building blocks to consider that will significantly impact your strategy s success. 1. Know your user groups. Broadly, there are two groups to consider: a BYOD group and a shared device group. Physicians are the group most well-known for lobbying to use their own devices at work, while nurses are an example of a user group familiar with sharing communication tools with colleagues within the same department or unit. 2. Consider the interoperability needs. By understanding how devices will be used by each user group, hospital leadership can best determine what the device requirements are going to be. For example, if clinicians are going to use their devices to run EHR apps, it s necessary to determine whether the EHR vendor certifies or supports certain devices. So, you ll want to make very specific decisions about which devices should be a part of your strategy based on how they will be used. 3. Choose your hardware. There are many use cases that require specific hardware, such as optical scanners or cameras. So, when making decisions about the types of devices that will be included in the mobile device strategy, it s essential to factor in those as well. It s also important to consider what will be done with legacy phones. If the plan is to move away from legacy phones and adopt wireless phones throughout the organization, you must plan for providing voice over IP (VoIP) capabilities on those smartphone devices. 4. Security. One of the biggest challenges plaguing the success and productivity of a mobile device strategy is developing an effective security policy for the BYOD user group. In the most extreme cases, IT teams have become overzealous and pushed draconian policies on BYOD physicians, who then take the path of least resistance because their ultimate objective is to provide the best care possible and the result is an ad hoc exchange of PHI across physician groups that may not be HIPAA-compliant. It will be meaningful to your security goals to decide upfront how your organization will approach concerns such as single sign-on, rules around using devices off-site (in a coffee shop, for example), and 4

5 being able to wipe an employee s personal device clean when he or she leaves the organization. 5. User-friendliness. It is critical that adopted mobile devices or any IT service, for that matter be clinician friendly. This means devices need to match the user group s workflow process and allow them to access the information they need when and how they need it. It cannot be a complex and frustrating process, or, again, hospitals run the risk of user groups taking the path of least resistance, leading to HIPAA-compliance risk. This can be avoided by ensuring that the needs and goals of each user group are well understood during the strategy planning stage. 6. Mandate the strategy. To avoid security risks and communication breakdowns, it s a good policy to mandate the usage of specific mobile devices and communication solutions across the entire organization. Being able to track who is and who is not complying with the strategy can help close risk gaps. Mandate User-friendliness Security Choose your hardware Consider interoperability Know your user groups 5

6 1 Identify the best device for your EHR. Learn about the computing power of different devices and their ability to access clinical data within your EHR. 2 Understand the device market. Many devices designed for healthcare are first-version releases and will quickly become outdated. vs 3 Compare ios and Android devices. Take note of the differences between Apple s consumer-centric devices and Android s ruggedly built enterprise-grade devices. 4 Don t forget about VoIP. Be sure to consider devices that include VoIP phone capabilities. 5 No, really don t forget about VoIP. Explore adding VoIP capabilities to a smart device lacking native VoIP support. 6 Buy in the first half of the device lifecycle. Purchase devices in the first half of the product lifecycle to maximize usefulness and longevity. 7 Study your wireless access points. Know how often wireless access points are updated. Infrequent device polls can disrupt care operations. Error Failed to update your push notification settings OK 8 Understand app limitations of custom Android devices. Some custom versions of Android devices no longer support Google Play Store or Google Cloud Messaging, which can cause push notification failure Consider device versions 5.0 or higher. Devices that are 4.9 or less require manual app installation and upgrades for Android for Work. 10 Understand your care teams needs. Some workflows require advanced capabilities, but a less expensive device may work perfectly for another role. Consider more than one device for your enterprise-wide strategy. 6

7 Tips for structuring a successful device pilot One of the most common mistakes hospital systems make when implementing a mobile device strategy is choosing the wrong devices. Problems like devices not roaming well from access point to access point, or even simple manufacturer quality issues, can sabotage a strategy s success. It s easy to assume that if a device costs upward of a thousand dollars it would meet almost any need a clinician could have, but many hospitals have found out the hard and expensive way that a high-dollar price tag doesn t guarantee the best device for their user groups. The best way to avoid this risk is to pilot any device before making a big purchase. The most important thing to keep in mind when piloting a new device is to conduct the pilot in real-world situations. There is a greater chance of a successful pilot if the devices are put right into the hands of end users and are used throughout the day within normal workflows. Most end-user groups in hospital settings are very mobile by the nature of their jobs. Clinicians must be in many different places throughout the facility at many different times of day. And it s necessary to make sure their devices roam effectively throughout your facility, without falling off the network. For example, be sure to test the user experience at somebody s desk, in a patient room, and in common areas of the hospital such as hallways, cafeterias and conference rooms. Don t forget about areas outside the hospital, if personal devices are going to be included in your strategy. Also, have a variety of end-user groups e.g., nurses, ER directors, residents test the devices. Apply as many variations as possible to the pilot process to increase the probability of finding a deal-breaking oddity. This will help you avoid purchasing and deploying expensive devices that aren t going to work well within your hospital s workflows. When it comes to workflows, test the devices against IT s own needs. Think about the IT team s ability to maintain the agreed-upon devices and policies, as well as manage them. The devices and the device strategy need to work just as well for IT as they do for the end user. 7

8 Another critical but sometimes overlooked element of the pilot experience is to test installation of commonly used applications. The goal here is to avoid any showstopping surprises after the devices are purchased and in the hands of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of end users. There are application limitations that are common to certain operating platforms, and if these limits are not tested before a device is selected and purchased, a breakdown in workflows and strategy adoption is likely. For example, there s a common assumption that by purchasing an Android device, end users will be able to run any app from the Google Play Store. The reality, though, is that some of these devices are on old versions of Android i.e., 4.9 or lower or they are heavily modified versions of Android that don t support the Play Store or don t support Google Cloud Messaging. Since Google Cloud Messaging is used for push notifications, that s the default push notification mechanism. If devices don t support this feature, then extra work will be required. You want to be as informed as possible about what you re buying and how it s going to work in real-life scenarios within and beyond your hospital walls. The final stages: Communication, training and support It s understood in all areas of business that if you launch any initiative to a large group of people, you should offer as much information as possible, as soon as possible, and communicate the rationale for making the change. This preparation and comprehensive communication gives the initiative a greater chance of success. To that end, one of the most important steps in developing a mobile device strategy should be to communicate to the end users what you re changing and why. Once that is done, the opportunity arises to further bolster widespread compliance and adoption through proper user-group training. Ensuring end users understand how to use the devices in coordination with their workflows and in extenuating circumstances will help increase adoption and policy compliance. 8

9 Takeaways Of all the technology that IT is going to deploy in a healthcare setting, instant mobile communication should be one that your users see as a high point. They should like it and be excited about it. For this to happen, the strategy must consider their needs and get their input from testing the devices in real-world scenarios. It s crucial to get your mobile device strategy right. Device expenditures are big purchases for the IT budget. Savvy IT leaders will make sure they are informed buyers and go through a thoughtful, rigorous and structured process. Sources Remember not to make any assumptions. Ensure that before you make the purchase, the device or devices you choose meet the needs of your end users and do not exceed the bandwidth capabilities of the IT resources needed to manage and maintain them Mobile device strategies catch on among hospitals, Optimizing a mobile device strategy to impact patient care, PerfectServe,

10 A mobile device strategy checklist No matter which technology you choose, staff adoption of your device policy will depend on a plan that simplifies their workflows. Use this list to create a mobile device strategy that works for everyone. PRE-PLANNING: 1. Get everyone on board. The mobile device strategy needs to be owned by everyone in the organization. Cross-departmental buy-in is critical to a successful plan. Identify a C-level project champion. High-level project champions create goodwill for the project at a company-wide level. Identify peer-level project champions. In each department or unit, identify a champion to serve as an example for peers to follow. Anticipate commonly asked questions. Go ahead and plan your answers to the most commonly asked and expected questions from both the user group and others in the company. 2. Do the research. Identify and understand your user groups. Know their challenges, needs and goals and how the strategy will impact them. Assess your current equipment. Does it help accomplish your goals? What s missing from your infrastructure? Create an equipment wish list. Define your needs and wants for any new equipment being considered. Be prepared to answer Why? 3. Evaluate your IT resources. Your end user should be your primary focus, but don t discount the importance of a strategy that your IT department can adequately support. Consider the expenses. Hardware Software Licensing Professional services Annual operating expense Others Consider the infrastructure. Does your infrastructure support the plan, or does it need updating or changing? Consider your data. How will the initiative use or relocate your data? Consider dependencies. Does the strategy depend on any other resources or projects to succeed? 10

11 DEPLOYMENT: 1. Test the equipment. Request a pilot. If you re purchasing devices, request a pilot to evaluate the device within your walls and on your systems. Test a group. Identify a test user group when possible and roll the program out with them first. 2. Create realistic use policies. Hard-line policies especially in the case of BYOD and inflexible plans in the name of tech control can backfire. Be sure your plan is flexible enough to promote adoption. Review current policies. Put your current policies down on paper. Identify the policies to keep and those that need to change. Draft new policies, if needed. If your organization will need new policies regarding new technology or devices, add them. Eliminate nonessential policies. Excess policy creates inflexible plans. If you don t need a rule, eliminate it. POST-ROLLOUT: 3. Combine policy creation with training. The better your policies, the less training you ll have to do. If you find that you re spending an inordinate amount of time training your users, reevaluate your device policies. Announce your strategy. Let the organization know how and why the strategy is changing. Hands-on training. Conduct in-person and hands-on training. Online training resources. Have recorded training materials available online. Printed training materials. Provide printed materials for end users to refer to. Ongoing support. Ensure that your end users know where to turn for ongoing support. 1. Get feedback. Ask the right questions and really listen to your end users answers. O Ask questions. Questions like Is this easier? or Will you use this? and Does this make sense? will help you understand your users POVs. O Be agile. Listen to, evaluate and, most important, make changes based on the feedback. 2. Evaluate regularly. There s no such thing as set-it-and-forget-it in healthcare IT. Reevaluate the strategy at least once per year. Incorporate end-user feedback and compare outcomes to initial goals. Do it again. If changes need to be made, go back to the top of the list and do it all again. It s not rework; it s a sign of growth! 11