Taming the techosaurus: Simplifying your IT complexity

In my many years navigating New Zealand's healthcare sector, I've witnessed an interesting phenomenon - the gradual transformation of lean, efficient IT systems into unwieldy digital dinosaurs.

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Like ancient creatures that grew too large for their own good, our healthcare IT ecosystems often become victims of their own complexity.

The complexity trap

It starts innocently enough. A new department needs specialised functionality. A stakeholder requests a custom workflow. A vendor offers an exciting enhancement. Before you know it, your once streamlined system resembles a digital Frankenstein's monster – multiple apps stitched together with integration patches, drowning in customisations, and wrapped up in so many complex contracts. When multiple organisations are consolidated, the nightmare only grows.

The cost isn't just financial. Complex systems breed inefficiencies, frustrate users, and ultimately compromise the very thing they're meant to enhance, patient care. When clinicians spend more time navigating software than treating patients, we know we've lost our way.

The seductive nature of complexity

It means that they collect a treasure trove of information about your movements around the internet. Few Kiwis realise just how widely scattered their data is - and once it is in the databases of those companies, it is no longer their own property, with companies able to mine it for insights which are then sold on to advertisers and market researchers.

But here's the truth. In healthcare IT, elegance lies in simplicity. The most effective systems I've encountered aren't the ones with the most features. They are the ones that do fewer things exceptionally well. This fits equally across infrastructure and applications.

The art of digital decluttering

Achieving simplicity is paradoxically complex. It requires:

1. A deep understanding of the requirement

All the moving parts and consequences require deep and thoughtful consideration, before solutioning begins.

2. Ruthless prioritisation

Not every feature request deserves implementation. Learn to say no to customisations that benefit few but burden many.

3. Standardisation over customisation

An obsessive focus to simplify. Resist the urge to modify core functionalities. Standard processes, while sometimes less perfect, are often more sustainable.

4. Integration intelligence

Before adding another app to your ecosystem, ask whether existing tools could serve the same purpose. Sometimes, the best solution is removing systems rather than adding them. Clever, simple solutions have a beauty that can be admired and celebrated. 

The rewards of simplicity

When we successfully tame our Techosaurus, the benefits are transformative. Systems become more reliable. Costs decrease enormously. Training times decrease. User satisfaction increases. Most importantly, healthcare professionals can focus on their primary mission, patient care.

The path forward

Simplicity in healthcare IT is a continuous journey. It requires vigilance against feature creep and enhancements, obsessive refinement, and the courage to say no.

As we build and maintain our healthcare IT systems, our goal isn't to create the most sophisticated solution possible, but rather the simplest solution that effectively meets our needs. After all, in the evolution of healthcare IT, it's not the biggest or most complex systems that survive, it's the most adaptable and efficient ones.

Get in touch with the CIO Studio team for advice about a best-practice approach to digital identity and verification for working with your employees, customers and partners.

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