Electronic Health Record (EHR) - Research Paper Example

The article takes a deeper look at Electronic Health Records or EHRs as “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting”. These computerized versions of patient’s paper charts contain information about patient demographics, past medical history, diagnosis, progress notes, medications, immunizations, allergies, radiology reports, and laboratory reports. These electronic records are created, managed and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff across different healthcare organization like emergency facilities, schools, workplace clinics, pharmacies, laboratories and medical imaging facilities and conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards. EHRs therefore have the potential to transform the healthcare system which is largely a paper-based industry to one that uses clinical and other patient related information to help healthcare providers provide a higher quality of care to their patients. It is estimated that the widespread use of EHRs will save about $77.8 billion in healthcare cost annually, which amounts to about 5% of the total health care expenditure in the United States of America. Currently, it is estimated that only about 5% to 13% of primary care physicians use electronic health records. EHRs enable providers to access evidence-based tools to make informed decisions about patient care and thereby automate and streamline providers’ workflow. ...
iciency in patient care as important information like blood type, prescribed drugs, medical conditions and other aspects of one’s medical history can be accessed much quickly. It would also save a lot of time at the doctor’s office as medical information is accessed quickly and the treatment can be provided immediately. Especially in emergency situations, the use of EHRs can prove to be lifesaving as important medical information concerning the patient can be accessed quickly and prove helpful in the emergency decision-making process. How Does EHRs apply to Healthcare Profession? Electronic health records can benefit healthcare professionals greatly. Computerization of procedures and computer-generated prescriptions help to speed up the process and reduce waiting time (Baron, Fabens, Schiffman & Wolf 225). One of the most important benefits to healthcare professionals is the real-time access to patient charts anywhere in the office and the ability to ‘message’ or ‘route’ information and tasks electronically in the office (Baron, Fabens, Schiffman & Wolf 225). This speeds up the processing time and improves access to specialist correspondences. Depending on the software, some patient charts can also appear on multiple desktops which help in improving patient care and customer satisfaction (Baron, Fabens, Schiffman & Wolf 225). Reduction in waiting time and faster processing of information also helps to improve provider’s job and career satisfaction as well. Converting Paper Records to Electronic Records The process of shifting from paper records to electronic health records should be carefully planned and implemented. This involves making several complex decisions ranging from selection and implementation to training and maintenance (American Health ...Show more