Electronic Medical Records and their Advantages and Disadvantages

According to Lori Gurley by the American Academy of Medical Administrators, medical records do more than keep track of the history of a patient’s health. Health records are also used for financial and legal information for the patient and the caregiver, as well as for research and the quality of training in the field of health. Since these records are so important, some health professionals have begun to use electronic health records or EHR. These electronic documents are equipped with a series of advantages and disadvantages

Advantage: Accessibility

Perhaps the strongest advantage of electronic medical records compared to other forms of record keeping is the accessibility of these records. According to Potter Holden and Company, a health insurance company is located in Georgia, it is easier to send electronic office documents from one Doctor to another. This provides patients an easier time when it comes to visiting more of an expert; they do not have to wait long for their records to be transferred. Gurley says that the information within the Electronic Medical Records is accessible to almost any electronic terminal where you may need, facilitating patient care in more than one location.

According to Potter Holden, this accessibility can mean the difference in the effective care for patients. The company estimates that one in seven patients were hospitalized unnecessarily when their medical records were not available for review. When stored digitally, records are often easily available for patients to access in addition, leading to more informed patients can easily understand their health treatment.

Disadvantage: Privacy

Potter Holden estimated that more than 150 different people can have access to a patient’s EHR during hospitalization. Although this increased accessibility can facilitate the treatment, it also poses a problem for patient’s privacy. This can potentially lead to excessive access sensitive information, such as contact and family information or billing information, being leaked between the hospital staff.

Accessibility can also lead to altered records. Whether intentional or accidental, record alterations can cause catastrophic confusion in diagnosis or medical treatment. With access to health information to so many people, there can be no surety that no changes will be made.

Other advantages

Gurley highlights the EHRs of storage capacity as an advantage. These records can be stored without occupying physical space, which means that they are often stored for longer periods of time of hard copies.

Potter Holden indicates that Electronic Medical Records can help doctors beyond the superficial treatment of the patients. The company states that EHRs reduce the likelihood of errors since there are no styles of writing illegible or spelling mistakes to decipher.

EHRs can help doctors to defend themselves in malpractice claims, as the patient’s information is readily available and cannot be misinterpreted by poor spelling or other errors.

Other disadvantages

Cost is a major disadvantage when it comes to Electronic Medical Records. Many doctors and hospitals cannot afford the system upgrades and training costs involved in implementing an EHR program.

The fact that some medical facilities may not apply EHR can lead to other problems. According to Potter Holden, the ideal medical record system allows all health care workers to enter the information of a single patient's central disk. However, if some professionals cannot implement EHR, or systems vary between facilities, the information can be lost in the shuffle.

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