ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

Moon Freyle Gretchen B. Imatong #155785215

NLM 106: NURSING INFORMATICS KFF

https://www.jax.org/-/media/jaxweb/images/news-and-insights/bigstock-doctor-with-medical-healthcare-287331085-992.jpg

Learning Objectives

After reading this article, the reader should be able to:

Explains the definition of electronic health records.
List the benefits of an electronic health record.
Describe how EHR improves patients' care and confidentiality.
Identify the advantages and challenges of an electronic version of health information.

https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/2017-09/button-basics-2-ehr.jpg

An electronic health record (EHR) is a safe, permanent record of medical history. It provides the healthcare team, including family, doctors, nurses, emergency room clinicians, and specialists, with real-time access to relevant medical information, allowing them to provide the best possible care (eHealth Ontario, 2022).

EHRs are the next step in the evolution of healthcare, and they have the potential to deepen the relationship between patients and practitioners. The data, as well as its timeliness and accessibility, will allow clinicians to make better judgments and provide better care. (CMS.gov, 2021).

DEFINITION OF TERMS

ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHR)

It is an electronic record of an individual's health-related information that adheres to nationally recognized interoperability standards and may be created, managed, and consulted by authorized physicians and employees from several healthcare organizations.

PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD (PHR)

It is an electronic record of an individual's health-related information that adheres to widely accepted interoperability standards and can be accessed from several sources while being managed, shared, and controlled by the individual.

ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD (EMR)

It is an electronic record of an individual's health-related information that may be created, gathered, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and personnel within a single healthcare organization.

Basic Components of an Electronic Health Record

An electronic health record (EHR) is more than just a computerized copy of a paper chart in a provider's office. It is a digitized record that contains detailed health information about your patients (HealthIT.gov, 2019). It contains patient health information, such as:

Administrative and billing data Medications

Patient demographics Immunization dates

Progress Notes Allergies

Vital Signs Radiology images

Medical histories Lab and test results

Diagnoses

https://healthitanalytics.com/images/site/article_headers/_normal/Patient_Data_Access.jpg

https://www.edamlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Is-A-Breach-of-Doctor-Patient-Confidentiality.jpg

EHR on Patients' Confidentiality

According to the RNAO (2017), electronic health records (EHR) can improve treatment by providing practitioners with access to vital health information. Health professionals can use EHRs to access the data they require to deliver better coordinated, patient-centered care, but it is also important to protect the confidentiality and security of patients' sensitive health information.

The following are some of the recommendations made by RNAO:

There should be a way for people to choose not to use the provincial EHR.
The privacy of patients should be respected by minimizing the quantity of personal data required to positively identify them.
Patients should have control over and authority to restrict access to their health information, for example by blocking out specific time periods;
A comprehensive teaching campaign on how to use the provincial EHR should be implemented for both patients and healthcare providers.

https://www.officepracticum.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/successful-ehr-implementation.jpg

https://youtu.be/L5ih1DcR2LM

eHealth Ontario provides real-time access to your pertinent medical information to your health care team so they can offer the best treatment for you (eHealthOntario, 2022).

Check to see if your healthcare providers are connected.

What does eHealth Ontario do?

Watch Video

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d37209cd7094fee1f03b504d939a30c6-lq

Medical Practice Efficiencies & Cost Savings

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been reported to help improve medical practice management by enhancing practice efficiencies and reducing costs. EHRs help medical practices in a number of ways, including:

· Lower transcription expenses

· Lower chart pulling, storage, and re-filing costs.

· Improved documentation and automated coding capabilities

· Lower medical errors through improved patient data availability and error prevention warnings

· Improved patient health and treatment quality through improved disease management and patient education.

2. Improved Diagnostics & Patient Outcomes

Patients obtain better medical care when health care providers have access to complete and accurate information. Electronic health records (EHRs) can enhance disease diagnosis and reduce—even prevent—medical errors, resulting in better patient outcomes.

3. Improved Patient Care Using EHRs

Access to complete patient health information is critical for providing safe and effective care. EHRs put accurate and full information about patients' health and medical history at the fingertips of clinicians. EHRs enable providers to provide the best possible care at the time of care. This can result in a better patient experience and, more significantly, improved patient outcomes.

4. Increase Patient Participation in Their Care

When patients and providers have access to the same electronic health records, they can work together to make well-informed decisions. Patient involvement is especially vital in the management and treatment of chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and obesity (HeathIT.gov, 2017).

https://d2908q01vomqb2.cloudfront.net/9e6a55b6b4563e652a23be9d623ca5055c356940/2021/01/28/Telehealth-NLCHI-1024x512.jpg

https://commonangle.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/09/electronic-medical-records-emr-ehr-hipaa.jpg.webp

How EHRs Foster Patient Participation

Electronic health records (EHRs) can assist providers in the following ways:

Provide high-quality care. EHRs enable clinicians to offer patients with complete and accurate information about all of their medical examinations. Following an office visit or hospital stay, providers can also provide follow-up information such as self-care instructions, reminders for future follow-up treatment, and links to web resources.

Make a communication channel for their patients. EHRs allow clinicians to maintain appointment schedules electronically and communicate with their patients via e-mail. Patients and physicians who can communicate quickly and easily may be able to spot symptoms earlier. It enables providers to be more proactive in reaching out to patients. Providers can also communicate with their patients via patient portals linked to their EHR system (HealthIT.gov, 2017).

Advantages of Electronic Health Records

EHRs and the capacity to exchange health information electronically can help you offer better and safer treatment for your patients while also creating substantial benefits for your company. EHRs assist providers in better managing patient care and providing better health care by:

Providing accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients
Improving patient record access for more coordinated, efficient care
Share electronic data with patients and other physicians in a secure manner.
Assisting in safer care delivery, medical error reduction, and improved patient diagnosis
Improving engagement and communication between patients and providers, as well as health-care convenience
Making prescriptions safer and more reliable
Cutting costs by reducing paperwork, enhancing safety, eliminating redundant testing, and improving health (HealthIT.gov, 2022) .

Disadvantages of EHR

In light of the system's advantages, it is only fair to note its drawbacks (Hoyt & Hersh, 2020. p. 84).

Financial Barriers - EHRs are costly to install, especially for smaller or single practitioners.
Physician Resistance - Medical staff's lack of support Physicians must be convinced that a new technology is beneficial to their patients and not merely a means to save time or money.
Reduced Physician-Patient Interaction—Doctors are no longer able to keep eye contact with patients as frequently as they did in the days of paper; instead, clinicians must divide their time between the patient and the EHR screen.

https://biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/files/2018/09/health-records-iStock-927809262-920x632.jpg

Conclusion

Modern existence revolves around information technology. It has varied effects on different people. Some people are at ease with new technologies, while others may feel intimidated, at least at first. Many patients are becoming more active participants in their own health care as a result of EHRs, PHRs, and other health IT innovations. When implementing new technology such as EHRs, practitioners must always keep the patient's perspective in mind. Health professionals must be aware of how EHRs can be used to our advantage while also playing an active role in mitigating the disadvantages.

References

Hoyt, R & Hersh, W., (October, 2020). Health Informatics (7^th ed). Electronic Health Records. p. 68, 84-85

https://seneca.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/sites/libraryresources/Shared%20Documents/Licensed%20Contents/Health_Informatics/Health%20Informatics_bookmarked-7th%20edition.pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=eJLf0S

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (September, 2022). Improving Patient Care and Privacy

https://rnao.ca/news/improving-patient-care-and-privacy

eHealth Ontario, (2022). What’s an EHR?

https://ehealthontario.on.ca/en/patients-and-families/ehrs-explained

CMS.gov. (December, 2021). Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/E-Health/EHealthRecords

HealthIT.gov (March, 2022). Advantages of Electronic Health Records

https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-are-advantages-electronic-health-records

HealthIT.gov (October, 2017). Benefits of EHR’s