An Electronic Health Record ( Ehr )

Electronic health records (EHR) are health records that are generated by health care professionals when a patient is seen at a medical facility such as a hospital, mental health clinic, or pharmacy. The EHR contains the same information as paper based medical records like demographics, medical complaints and prescriptions. There are so many more benefits to the EHR than paper based medical records. Accuracy of diagnosis, quality and convenience of patient care, and patient participation are a few examples of the

Electronic filing also cuts down on the space needed tremendously, they no longer need a huge room to store all patients files. It is also faster to find, update, and send electronic files. Last but not least, societal outcomes include being better able to conduct research and achieving improved population health. Although it seems there could be nothing wrong with EMR, there are potential disadvantages associated with this technology. These include financial issues, changes in workflow, temporary loss of productivity associated with EHR adoption, privacy and security concerns, as well as access.

But with the benefits there are also the risk factors. Some disadvantages of the EHR system would include; initial cost of planning and implementing an EHR system, lack of standardization across the healthcare setting, unauthorized access to patient information (security and privacy), inaccurate patient information if not updated properly, technical downtimes, potential negligence for data loss and possible patient access to conditions that they don’t comprehend which may panic them.

EHRs reduce your paperwork – It reduces the paperwork I have to fill in each time I go into the doctors office. If I am referred to a specialists or another area within the network they already have all of my complete information.

Barrows states, “EMR’s have the ability to store a copy of your data which is beneficial in disaster recovery. The ability of drug interaction checking with prescription writing. Improves communication between providers related accessibility. EMR can strengthen the relationship between patients and clinicians. It will enable providers to make better decisions and provide

Another beneficial feature of EHR systems is that they allow different authorized professionals to access your information from anywhere at any point in time. If a patient checks into the Emergency Room, is moved to Radiology for imaging, then moved to Orthopedics for surgery and finally placed in a bed for recovery, each individual throughout that process will have access to that patient’s medical records without having to communicate with each department. This fosters an

In the modern world technology is everywhere and it affects everyone’s daily life. People are constantly attached to cell phones, laptops, and other electronics, which all have affected how people live their lives. Technology is also a large part of the healthcare system today. There are many electronics and technologies that are used in health care, such as electronic health record, medication bar code scanning, electronic documentation, telenursing, and there are many more forms of technology that impact nursing. One technology that stands out is the electronic health record. The electronic health record, also referred to as EHR, is an electronic version of a patient’s chart, and it contains is a list of the patient’s current medications, allergies, laboratory results, diagnoses, immunization dates, images, treatments, and medical history (“Learn EHR Basics,” 2014). The purpose of the electronic health record is to have a patient’s health care record available to health care providers nationwide, but the patient can decide who has access to their record (Edwards, Chiweda, Oyinka, McKay, & Wiles, 2011). The electronic health record is a very important technology in health care and it impacts nurses, nursing care, and has a significant impact on patient outcomes.

Some may mix up an EHR and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) because of some of their similarities. However, they are different in many aspects. “The EHR contains patient health information gathered from the EMRs of multiple HCD organizations and is electronically stored and accessed. EHRs differ from EMRs because they contain subsets of patient information from each visit that a patient has experienced, possibly at many different HCD systems. EHRs are interactive and can share information among multiple healthcare providers (Darline 4).” “Meaning it has digital version of charts, streamlined sharing of updated, real time sharing, patient’s medical information to move with them, and access tools for decision making (EHRvEMR 1).” Although, this is the best electronic system used, there are more electronic systems out there that are used. The EMR is among the many used. It is defined as an electronic version of patient files within a single organization. “EMR has digital records of an individual’s

Electronic health records (EHRs): Medical records are now kept in an electronic versus a paper chart. All health information regarding past and current medical history, treatment plans, and medications are kept in the EHR. The system also allows sharing of medical information from provider to provider as needed. Many HER systems have a feature to allow patients to log into a patient portal to review lab results, diagnostic tests, plans of care, and email access to the provider

If you ask the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC) there is a distinct difference between the two. The two organizations state the term “health” covers a broader range verses the term “medical” as stated by Aetna (Garrett & Siedman, 2011). ONC clarifies that electronic medical records are comprised of solely of only the patients’ clinical information such as preventive screening and checkups are due and vaccines. The electronic health record contains a broader history of the patients’ medical history to provide the complete synopsis of the patients’ health.

Electronic medical records (EMR) improve healthcare by handling personal information of the patient and reducing the frequent errors caused by storing personal information. There is no specific definition of EMR, it is only a collection of data in digital form to give the best care to the patient while accessing their personal health information. EMR caused great changes in the healthcare industry as electronic medical records are easily portable and accessible from anywhere at any time.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what an EHR system is let’s talk about some of the Pros and Cons of the system. There are many potential positives that this system can have. Research has shown that electronic health records have lowered the rate of medication mistakes by providing appropriate treatment guidelines. EHR's allow for quicker access to patient health records. Previously health records were pulled and refiled before and after each visit, often getting misfiled, making them frequently unavailable for appointments, resulting in wasted time, space, and the frequent detriment to care. The system increases the accuracy of coding and billing. The earlier protocol called for staff to enter data in two different places, for an increased rate of human error. The computerized physician order entry has an e-prescribe feature giving health professionals the ability to submit prescriptions online, making the process more efficient for the patient and provider. CPOE also gives providers the ability to place lab and imaging orders and other notices electronically. All of which dramatically reducing the margin for human error with handwritten orders. This also allows other providers with EHR to view orders and prescriptions, reducing the rate of duplication. Essentially the EHR’s main pro is its ability to promote efficiency, and productivity. The system itself is meant to save time spent writing charts to allow more time for patient interactions, all

Electronic Health Record is important because, it has improved the documentation, and gives it fast and better access to a patient's data. This information cannot be lost, compared to paper data. EHR has helped health care facilities by making space in the offices from converting to Electronic Health Record. Health care workers are able to access the patient's data at the same time. EHR is also important because paper work looked so sloppy. Electronic Health Record is on computer which makes it easy to read. EHR allows the doctor to follow up with the patient easier. EHR can help with errors because everything is typed so there is no different hand writing. It is a inconvience when a physican has to be constantly contacted to verify a word.

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a comprehensive electronic record of patient health information (PHI) eventuated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. This longitudinal information includes, demographics, vital signs, past medical history, progress notes, problems, medications, immunizations, radiology data and laboratory reports. The EHR organizes and automates the clinician 's workflow. The EHR has the ability to create a complete record of a clinical patient encounter - as well as complementary other care-related activities directly or indirectly via interface – encompassing evidence-based decision support, outcomes reporting and quality management("Electronic Health Records(Standards),"). Health

EHR is used by medical facilities and hospitals around the world. It gives facilities the ability to communicate with each other and share records, notes, images, and many other forms of data with each other. In a world that is becoming more and more globalized and specialized this becomes more important by the day.