Massillon, Ohio-based Affinity Medical Center is set to implement an electronic health record system this weekend, but the hospital's nurses, represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee in Ohio, an affiliate of National Nurses United, are seeking to delay the June 21 implementation date.
According a union news release, the hospital has not provided adequate training on the EHR system and will be short-staffed during the rollout, leading to patient safety concerns. Additionally, the EHR system could violate the Ohio Nursing Practice Act because it does not allow nurses to "communicate individualized, potentially life-saving information about their patients," the release stated. Nurses presented their concerns in a letter to hospital officials, who, according to the release, did not accept it.
Hospital officials told The Independent that the union's news release "contains inaccurate and offensive statements," and the hospital provided computer labs, made extra training available and will have qualified trainers at the hospital during the EHR rollout.
The union plans to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board if the EHR system is launched as planned, The Independent reported.
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