What are electronic health records?
Electronic health records, also called electronic patient records or computerized patient records, are collections of patients’ medical records over a period of time within an institution. These histories have been recorded digitally and include comprehensive information relevant to the patient’s health: demographics, past medical records, vital signs, medications, immunizations, progress reports, health issues, laboratory data, and radiology.
An EHR, as electronic health records are more commonly known, can be shared by multiple health care facilities through a network connection and EHR software. This means that a patient’s records at a New York City hospital can be sent immediately to a clinic in Los Angeles without anyone having to bother sending hard copies. The use of electronic health records is intended to make work easier in the health care industry by making information more accessible and simplified. Electronic health records also document other activities related to care, such as quality management, evidence-based decision support, and outcome reporting. The electronic health record aims to strengthen the ties between healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses and clinicians, and their respective patients. This is because quick and easy access to data is believed to help healthcare providers make more informed and confident decisions regarding their patients, enabling them to deliver better services.
An EHR improves medical situations in several ways. One is that electronic health records reduce the chances of medical errors because they contain all the necessary information, which in turn leads to more accurate and clear reports. For example, EHR software includes features such as Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), which is a virtual list for physicians to follow when prescribing medications for their patients. This reduces the risks to the patient’s health and saves a lot of money in the long run. In addition, electronic health records minimize the need for duplicate testing, effectively reducing delays that can affect a patient’s treatment and medication.
There have been several issues surrounding the idea of electronic health records. Its drawbacks include exorbitant start-up costs and a concern about decreased productivity on the part of healthcare workers, since most doctors and nurses are reluctant to spend time learning a new system. The most pressing issues regarding electronic health records are concerns about the privacy and security of patient records, especially in sensitive cases such as psychotherapy sessions, as well as legal liability in the implementation of EHR software systems that may malfunction.
However, the use of electronic health records continues to be seen as the trend towards great improvements in the health care system at the national level. It is believed to reduce overall costs by a large percentage in the long run, provide access to data that was previously difficult to obtain that will aid in research and evidence-based medicine, possibly unite all healthcare institutions into one system in the future for better coordination and record keeping. Looking at the big picture, electronic health records are seen as the answer to long-term preservation of medical records and will ultimately benefit everyone in the healthcare field.