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The Electronic Health Record is a concept of electronically collecting health data of individual patients or even an entire population. This information can be shared among different health concerns, especially if it is in a networked organization. The information includes medical history, demographics, immunization, laboratory, and billing records (Dunlop, 2007; Mason, 2005).
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are sometimes referred to as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), although the two have a slight difference (Raymond, 2002). The use of electronic health records has helped to reduce chances of medical errors that would otherwise be fatal to many patients by assisting healthcare providers to make decisions from the patients’ history in the record (Ringold & Santell, 2000).
EHRs require the presentation of data on screen or paper to be not only longitudinal but also ordered hierarchically to make accessibility easy whenever the information is required. EHRs enjoy the connectivity advantage with several other medical recording systems such that when international patients travel to other countries for special treatment or to participate in clinical trials, it would have been very difficult to coordinate such appointments through paper records (Hoffman & Podgurski, 2008).
According to critics, however, although EHR is said to help in saving the health system money, the people who buy it may not benefit financially. The prices of EHR vary depending on what is included in it, the nature of the system, and the number of providers utilizing it. EHRs have also come with their fair share of challenges, especially among physicians. Some physicians still find it easier to use the manual record system because, according to them, it takes them less time compared to EHRs (Luetjens, Nieschlag & Tuttelmann, 2006). Such problems can be solved once the software contains some data for physicians to use as templates and make data entry easier (Gunter & Terry, 2005).
Important factors considered in developing EHR systems are the preservation and storability of the records over a long time (Traynor, 2008). The system must specify the long storage time, as well as the accessibility and compatibility provisions of the stored data, which in the long run shall ensure the safety of the archives. It should also provide for longitudinal use of the information while it conveniently integrates with other recording sites to avoid complications presented with the long-term storage systems like the EHRs.
The system has however failed to restrict the accessibility of the patients’ information (Gina, 2006) by unauthorized persons. To this end, it, therefore, calls for a compromise between a reliable recording system and the cry for individual privacy as called for by many international bodies (Health & Medicine, 2006).
EHRs have revolutionized the way information is stored in healthcare institutions across the globe. Despite the numerous challenges they have come with, it is evident that this is a good idea that needs to be embraced. Although some physicians may at first find it hard adapting to EHRs, they soon get used to them. The long-term benefits of EHRs compared to the traditional system cannot be overemphasized. They enable these institutions to operate more efficiently and effectively compared to traditional methods.
Healthcare providers, therefore, find themselves with no option but to adopt EHRs in their operations if they need to remain relevant in this era of rapid technological advancement.
References
Dunlop, L. (2007). “Electronic Health Records: Interoperability Challenges and Patient’s Right for Privacy”.
Gina, R. (2006).. The Perils of Customization. Asian Journal of Andrology.vol 6 Pp 24-28.
Gunter, T, & Terry, N., (2005). “The Emergence of National Electronic Health Record Architectures in the United States and Australia: Models, Costs, and Questions
Health & Medicine. (2006). “At risk of exposure: In the push for electronic medical records, concern is growing about how well privacy can be safeguarded.
Hoffman, S. & Podgurski, A., (2008). “Finding a cure; the case for Regulation and Oversight of Electric Health Record Systems “
Luetjens, C.M., Nieschlag, E, Tuttelmann, F. (2006). “Optimizing workflow in andrology: a new electronic patient record and database arch 20
Mason, M. (2005). ” What Can We Learn from the Rest of the World? A Look at International Electronic Health Record Best Practices”
Raymond, B. (2002). “Clinical Information Systems: Achieving the Vision”
Ringold, D. & Santell, J. (2000). “ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in acute care settings: dispensing and administration”
Traynor, K. (2008). “National health information network passes live test”. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
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