The increasing role of electronic medical records - Research Paper Example

? THE INCREASING ROLE OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS Presented By goes here] To [your goes here] [Your goes here] [Your university’s name] [Due date of the paper] The Increasing Role of Electronic Medical Records Introduction Before going to discuss the role of electronic medical records in healthcare settings, let us get a better understanding of what electronic medical records actually are. Tatum (n.d.) states, “Electronic health records are copies of an individual’s medical history that is stored as electronic data”. According to Walker, Bieber, and Richards (2005), electronic medical records improve communication of clinical data that facilitates doctors and concerned health professionals carry out their duties effectively and efficiently (p. 3). Electronic medical record system is one of the most important aspects of any healthcare company because it helps doctors and employees manage all administrative and professional activities using the information stored in the form of electronic medical records by physicians and concerned employees. Electronic Medical Records Oz (2009) states, “Information is the lifeblood of any organization” (p. 9). An Electronic Health Record system means management of all medical information, which is required to administer different business activities. Today, a health services providing company can never be successful without implementation of an electronic medical record system because such systems keep proper record of all information related to patients in the form of electronic documents that are easy to retrieve when needed. If we talk about the key tasks of electronic medical records, we can say that an electronic medical record system is capable of performing various tasks related to the management of information using a computer system. Some of those tasks include documentation of the patients’ information, storing the information in appropriate locations, keeping track of the information, and assisting the concerned departments in processing of information. In healthcare institutes and companies, an efficient electronic medical record system is concerned with facilitating concerned heath employees in obtaining and using correct information of the patients. One of the most important aspects of an electronic medical record system is that it keeps the information up to date, which is essential for the success of any organization. Today, electronic health records have become one of the most important aspects of a healthcare company or organization because it helps employees in successfully carrying out all different tasks using the information that is appropriately collected and analyzed by the electronic medical record systems. The collected information is used in various decision-making processes by the management of any organization. An electronic medical record system not only means collection of data, rather it is also used to process, analyze and disseminate the collected information or data in order to carry out various business operations of an organization. The information about patients is presented to concerned employees in the form of well-documented reports consisting of those activities that are needed to be executed by the management of any specific department. Information retrieval on demand is a very important factor behind the implementation of an electronic medical record system in a healthcare organization. The main purpose of implementing an electronic medical record system in a healthcare company is to assist health professionals in carrying out different professional activities, such as, storing data into computer systems, retrieving information without any delay, and getting customized reports. Therefore, it is very important for a company to implement an electronic medical record system in order to facilitate company’s employees in carrying out their professional activities in an appropriate manner. Importance of Electronic Medical Records The importance of increasing role of electronic health or medical records in today’s nursing environment cannot be denied. Electronic medical records provide a number of considerable benefits to the healthcare companies. An electronic medical record system is not only used for collection of patient related data but also it is used to process, analyze, and disseminate the collected information or data in order to carry out different activities related to provision of healthcare to the patients. “The medical records can cover a wide range of aspects of the patient’s health while stored in a format that is easily transferable between health providers” (Tatum, n.d.). Let us discuss some of the major advantages of implementing electronic medical record system in healthcare companies. Accuracy of Information Accuracy is another key element of an electronic medical record system. It means that information provided to the users of the system should be precise and accurate in all aspects. All departments of a healthcare company make use of medical reports generated by the system, so an electronic medical record system generates accurate reports based on the stored information. Accuracy of internal controls is of extreme importance for the proper functioning of the system. The implementation of electronic medical records decreases patients’ sufferance, which often occurs due to medical errors (Chimezie, 2011). Quick collection of information and provision of accurate information to the healthcare providers are two of the most significant aspects related to the electronic medical record systems. “Electronic health records reduce the chances for medical errors because they contain all information necessary, which in turn creates more accurate and clearer reports” (Pounders, 2011). Quick Processing Quick storage of data and processing of data into required information is one of the most important jobs of an efficient electronic medical record system. “When doctors share records electronically, your new doctor only needs to ask your name, birthdate, and possibly another piece of identifying information” (Torrey, 2011). A healthcare company’s electronic medical record system not only stores the information from various sources in the computer system but also makes it ready for the concerned departments when needed. Quick data processing is one of the greatest uses of an electronic medical record system. Gone are the days when companies used to organize data in the form of files. Now electronic medical record systems are used for this purpose because they perform all tasks related to information management, which include, collection of data, editing of data, saving it in the computers, and generating reports for decision-making purposes. Timeliness is of extreme importance for a healthcare organization because it helps doctors provide quick treatment to the patients based on their medical histories. In case of emergency, the need for quick data retrieval becomes more necessary. Electronic medical record systems fulfill this need of the doctors by providing them with required information in a very short time. Automated data processing not only helps the management in quick decision-making but also saves the time by automatically carrying out the data processing activities. An efficient electronic medical record system not only makes information readily available to the physicians and other concerned people but also helps them analyze the medial records of the patients properly before proceeding with the best available treatment. Complete and Relevant Information Completeness is also one of the key elements of an electronic medical record system, which means to provide users with complete information regarding any matter. However, completeness does not mean that the report should have a huge detail about patients’ medical histories as it creates information overload, rather only relevant and pertinent information should be provided to the concerned departments. Information Security and Confidentiality Data security is another key aspect of electronic medical record because the computerized data prevents unauthorized people from accessing the data. An efficient electronic medical record system not only stores large chunks of information in a structured form but also ensures information security. Only authorized people are able to access the information from the database. Confidentiality is also major issues related to electronic health records. Some people say that medical information of patients is not safe in electronic system as every one can view their personal information. However, the fact is that electronic medical records are not available to every one working in the company rather the information is available only to the concerned authorities, such as, physicians, doctors, and concerned authorities who are obliged to maintain information security. HIPAA ensures patients’ information security in case of implementation of electronic medical record system. “The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, enacted in 1996, requires hospitals, clinics and others in health care to guard the privacy of medical records” (Mullins, n.d.). Quick Retrieval of Information Electronic medical records also help health professionals in the analysis of information by providing them with accurate and up to date information about the patients. Complete medical histories of the patients can be stored in their respective folders, which can help health professionals retrieve that data easily and quickly when needed. Quick retrieval of accurate information also helps doctors provide instant medical care to the patients, which is a considerable benefit for the health consumers. Data Consistency Next important element of an electronic medical record system is its consistency and reliability. Data consistency is extremely important for the implementation of an effective electronic medical record system. The users of information system do not find any difficulty in using the information if the data is processed consistently. Electronic medical record systems process the data in a consistent manner. It is because if the data will be processed consistently, the users of the electronic medical record system will not have any difficulty in using the information generated by the system. Improved Performance of Healthcare Companies The benefits and efficiency of using electronic medical record system can be evaluated by comparing the past and present organizational performances. Electronic medical record systems definitely improve the performance of any healthcare organization by providing them with many considerable benefits, such as, documentation of patient-doctor interactions, retrieving medical histories quickly, making referrals, increased storage capacity, and customized view of relevant information. “An EHR also represents a huge potential for cost savings and decreasing workplace inefficiencies” (Gurley, 2004). Competitive Advantage As mentioned earlier, success of a healthcare company without implementation of an electronic medical record system is impossible in the today’s world. It is because there is a lot of competition between healthcare providing companies these days and only those companies can get competitive advantage which keep up to date information about different issues related to diagnostic methods and treatments. Challenges in Implementation of Electronic Medical Records One of the main challenges in the implementation of this system in a healthcare setting is the ability of the employees to use such software. Management of the healthcare organization where such system is to be used, should first provide proper training to all concerned employees regarding use of this system and then they should go to implement it. The management should consider all technical and social issues while training the employees. The employees should be made aware of the importance of information security or privacy of the patients’ information so that they should not disclose any patient’s information to any unconcerned person. According to Young (2000), some other problems in the implementation of electronic health record system are organizational and human issues, such as, untrained medical professionals and rise in unemployment due to automated systems that need to be resolved in order to implement an electronic documentation record system in the healthcare companies (106). Although money is saved by using electronic medical records, such as, reduced cost of papers and labor, but the concerns arising due to these factors should not be ignored. Disadvantages of Electronic Medical Records Along with a number of advantages associated with the implementation of electronic medical records, there also exist some disadvantages of electronic medical records. Startup cost is one of the major disadvantages of electronic medical records. “Not only must you buy equipment to record and store patient charts (much more expensive than paper and file cabinets), but efforts must be taken to convert all charts to electronic form” (Ellis-Christensen, 2011). Some other disadvantages include inability of the nurses to store and retrieve required information properly, reduction in patient/doctor interaction time, concerns regarding security of the medical records, chances of information input errors, and spying on medical records. Conclusion Summing it up, electronic medical record system is one of the most important aspects of any healthcare company because it assists doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals in the management of patients’ information in computer systems. Implementation of electronic medical records in healthcare organizations is on rise due to a number of considerable benefits associated with their use. Although there also exist some concerns regarding security of patients’ information but those concerns are unable to overshadow the large number of advantages associated with the implementation of electronic medial record system. References Chimezie, O. (2011). Electronic Health Record. Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/electronic-health-record-4581106.html Ellis-Christensen, T. (2011). What are the Disadvantages of Electronic Medical Records?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-disadvantages-of-electronic-medical-records.htm Gurley, L. (2004). Advantages and Disadvantages of the Electronic Medical Record. Retrieved from http://www.aameda.org/MemberServices/Exec/Articles/spg04/Gurley%20article.pdf Mullins, R. (n.d.). What Are the Disadvantages of Electronic Medical Records?. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5187857_disadvantages-electronic-medical-records_.html Pounders, A. (2011). What Are Electronic Health Records?. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-Electronic-Health-Records?&id=6598849 Tatum, M. (n.d.). What are Electronic Health Records?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-electronic-health-records.htm Torrey, T. (2011). The Benefits of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). Retrieved from http://patients.about.com/od/electronicpatientrecords/a/EMRbenefits.htm Oz, E. (2009). Management Information Systems (5th ed.). Canada: Thomson Learning. Walker, J., Bieber, E., & Richards, F. (2005). Implementing an Electronic Health Record System. London: Springer-Verlag. Young, K. (2000). Informatics for Healthcare Professionals. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Read More