Electronic Health System - Essay Example

The Electronic Health Record System

Discussion One

The Electronic Health Record System (EHR) is digital software that allows medical practitioners to keep track of patients’ records. According to Seymour et al. (2012, p.201), a patient's HER is created, recorded, managed, and stored by an organization that provides healthcare services. The EHR system has comprehensive information about patients' health. As a result, it helps reduce errors, make patient's medical history more accessible, cut costs, and helps improve decision-making. The EHR system has different components that play various roles to ensure the system is effective.

First, the patient management element enables the healthcare institution to register, admit, and discharge a patient. It is a component that contains the patient's clinical health information and demographic. It allows for the identification and the categorization of the patient. It contains information such as the patient's date of birth, ethnicity, gender, blood type, postal code, and country. According to the Ministry of Medical Services (2020, p.18), this section of the EMR system has to contain information about the patient's medication, allergies, and clinical data and test results.

Second, the clinical element comprises nurse notes on information such as the patient's vital signs, electronic documentation, and the doctor's order entry. This aspect of the EHR system contains consultation notes, operative notes, the patient's physical and medical history, and prescriptions. According to Seymour (2012, p.203), the EHR should have clear documentation of the interaction between the patient and the doctor. The patient's documentation is made up of the doctor's notes, nurse's notes, radiography and x-ray reports, laboratory results, doctor's orders, and other healthcare interventions.

Third, the laboratory element, which focuses on results management. There are different types of laboratory results in various laboratory and radiology tests. The EHR systems make it possible for results to be computerized, making it easily accessible. As a result, the quality of care improves, and information can be tracked in compliance with government regulations and insurance companies. According to Seymour et al. (2012, p. 203), the EHR system facilitates quality assurance because of the quality data that has been recorded and stored.

Fourth, the picture archiving and communication element is a hybrid system made up of software and hardware used to acquire, record, store, and transmit medical images. It is a system that is linked to the hospital information system and the radiology information system. The visual data collected can be retrieved by a physician and provided with effective and efficient medical care.

Finally, the coding and billing element is a system that is used to capture the fee the treatment and care have incurred. Accurate coding and billing are vital because, in the modern world where healthcare institutions work closely with insurance companies, there is a need for accurate documentation of the encounter between patients and physicians. Proper coding does not only provide information on the patient's health challenges; it is the basis for billing. Therefore, erroneous coding would result in imprecise billing.

In conclusion, the EHR system is made up of different elements that work together to provide patient information, recordings of the different tests that have been conducted, and the final results, the clinical procedure, and the medical bill. Since the EHR system is electronic, a patient's health record is highly portable and accessible. Therefore, it is an efficient way of recording, storing, and retrieving patient records.

Discussion Two.

The telemedicine system has become a vital part of the health care system. It has played a vital role in keeping doctors and medical practitioners healthy and safe during the global health pandemic. The Kenyatta National Hospital incorporated the telemedicine system to aid in managing the pandemic. The decision taken by the medical institution is a step towards connecting researchers, clinicians, patients, and physicians. Also, it is a means through which the institution can effectively and efficiently deliver healthcare services. The expansion of telemedicine is dependent on the Electronic Health Record System.

Telemedicine utilizes telecommunication technology for the care management of patients. It can be used to diagnose and treat patients. Telemedicine was developed to use information and telecommunication technology to provide understaffed medical institutions and medical facilities in remote areas with specialists in different medical fields. Currently, the spread of the Corona Virus to developing countries with a limited number of specialized medical practitioners has led to rising demand in telemedicine systems. Telemedicine has been preferred because it saves costs since it is cheaper to transmit information than transport people.

During the current pandemic, digital EHR systems can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of telemedicine. Therefore, integrating these two systems can empower medical practitioners to make science-based and highly informed decisions. Using a hybrid of these two systems can lead to faster diagnosis, fewer prescribing miscalculations, and better outcomes for the patients.

According to XinhuaNet (July 7, 2020), telemedicine in Kenya is being used for patient consultations to minimize visiting hospitals. But telemedicine can offer more than a real-time medical consultation. First, telemedicine can provide medical institutions with an opportunity to share medical information. When there has been a cessation of movement to curb the spread of Covid-19, there is a likelihood that individuals have been confined to areas away from the medical institutions they visit or from their physicians. Since the EHR system is made up of patient information, integrating the EHR system and the telemedicine system will make it possible for physicians from across the country to share medical information such as medical prescriptions and laboratory reports.

Also, since the Kenyatta National Hospital has access to medical specialists, integrating the EHR system to the telemedicine system will make it possible for specialists at the institution to conduct remote patient monitoring. According to Kakkar et al. (2017, p. 209), telemedicine makes it possible for a health specialist working in a different location to provide medical expertise and assistance to patients in a different location. It is a method that would require a health specialist to have access to accurate patient information. Therefore, the use of the EHR system will provide them with the information they need to make an accurate diagnosis and counsel colleagues working in remote regions. Also, the portability of both systems makes medical information more accessible for medical practitioners.

In conclusion, the current global pandemic requires medical practitioners to use technology to retrieve accurate data and communicate effectively. Telemedicine makes it possible for medical practitioners to retrieve data from patients who have in a different location. According to Kakkar et al. (2017, p. 209), telemedicine methods such as mobile health makes it possible for medical practitioners to monitor a patient's condition remotely. But for telemedicine to be useful, it has to be integrated into the EHR system, which offers accurate information about a patient's medical history.