Identify stakeholders that would be involved in the selection of a health IT system. After
establishing this list, make a subsection list of the goals and interests of each group: Are
they primarily clinical? Financial? Operational?
Health information technology (health IT) can be used to improve communication and reduce
errors in the health care system and is a recommended strategy that facilitates effective, high
quality and safe patient care (Nelson and Staggers, 2018). A stakeholder is defined as
“individuals and organizations who are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may
positively or negatively affect as a result of project execution or successful project completion”,
according the Project Management Institute (Smith, 2020). The stakeholders involved in the
health care system are people or agencies that would be affected by reforms to the health system.
Each of the stakeholders have duties and responsibilities to ensure that everything runs smoothly
(Admin, 2011). The involvement of stakeholders is crucial to the success of the reform
implementation efforts (Hartzler et al., 2013). Some of the major stakeholders that are involved
in the selection of a health IT system are:
Nurses, Physicians and Health Care Providers: Nurses, physicians and health care providers are
primarily clinical but also has a financial responsibility. Clinical health care providers are the
primary user of electronic health records (Hartzler et al., 2013). Physicians play a vital role in
ensuring that patients receive cost effective and satisfactory health care. A physician’s obligation
is to his or her patient and to make sure that they are providing the best client centered care
possible (Admin, 2011).
End-Users: Clinicians
Physicians, nurses, and technicians are the ones who will interact with the new technologies on a
day-to-day basis. Establishing an open dialogue with select stakeholders at the end-user level
early on will make it easier to understand the impact a new technology will have on this group in
general.4
When seeking out these stakeholders, certain types of end-users can offer greater value to project
managers. A clinical champion serves a vital role in implementation by supporting a project,
acting as an advocate to other clinicians, and helping to communicate both down and upstream.
Typically, a clinical champion will be well-versed in informatics and be an earlier adopter of
technology in general.
Another useful stakeholder group are super users. While these individuals may be less outspoken
or proactive than clinical champions, they are adept with new systems and assist their colleagues
when they are having difficulties. To find these users, have the team planning the IT project ask
doctors whom they turn to for help with technology. Working with champions and super users
yields significant benefits, but the ultimate success or failure of new software extends beyond
them. Those who are having difficulty making the necessary adjustments are equally important.
These individuals are often opposed to technological changes or skeptical of the value of new
systems or workflows.
