Electronic health records (EHRs) are now widely used due to advances in the health information technology (HITECH) Act. Healthcare providers and hospitals can earn economic incentives by adopting certified EHR technology and following meaningful guidelines under the Affordable Care Act.
Even with these incentives, medical practitioners, including nursing staff, hospitals, doctors, and clinics, have been slow to adopt electronic health records. Lack of computer experience, high costs, security problems, workflow issues, and limited time are possible obstacles.
Therefore, this article aims to explain how electronic medical records can be helpful to new practices.
Helpful in Avoiding Errors
Intelligibility is a big (and immediately noticeable) benefit. A poor writing style is the primary cause of many pharmaceutical errors; according to one source, more than 60% of drug errors in hospitals are attributable to poor handwriting. Electronic health records can also improve patient outcomes with medication management. Electronic health records have proved to reduce drug-related errors by 52%.
An alarm can be set if a paramedic mistakenly scans the wrong medicine using barcode scanner software.
Clinical professionals receive notifications about significant results via the EHR to provide timely results, thus facilitating communication. Using the EHR can make it easier for clinicians to determine whether to repeat laboratory tests. Electronic health records may also improve therapeutic and clinical outcomes for patients because they reduce duplicate testing and improve efficiency.
The EHR also contains radiological results, which clinicians can retrieve whenever they need to see the original X-ray scan or the radiologist’s report. Any report generated throughout the patient’s treatment is accessible to all professionals involved in the patient’s care. There are a variety of features that are available through electronic health records (EHRs). The EHR should include functions such as the capability to examine X-rays to save on design and development costs.
Keeping the Patient’s Data Safe
Regulations set out in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 state that health information security is important. The security of sensitive information poses a huge challenge to all healthcare team members. Electronic health records provide audit logs and protection that reveal who accessed medical information when and what they did. Hence, EHR systems are more accessible and accountable. In addition, electronic health records (EHRs) protect patient information from those who do not have the authorization to access it.
Patients can read, print, and share their medical information with their doctors using the patient portal. Last but not least, electronic health records (EHRs) simplify physician and patient tracking of medications. An EHR-generated medication list is easily received and updated within seconds during each patient visit. Thus, doctors and patients can easily maintain an updated medication list.
Using the Data to its Fullest Extent
Since an EHR contains massive amounts of accessible data, it is a vital tool for improving performance and ensuring quality. Additionally, facilities may take advantage of the information collected in this process more extensively. Clinical researchers have partnered with EHR vendors to create standards and norms for utilizing electronic health record data to improve the research process and guide clinical decisions.
The exchange of electronic health records goes directly, using queries and via consumer-mediated exchanges. In most cases, information is directly shared. In this way, physicians may get vital information about a patient’s health history, past and current medications, allergies, family history, and other relevant information necessary to diagnose and treat the patient. Electronic health records also allow doctors to access a wealth of information that they can use to make more accurate diagnoses and treatments.
Staff Participation in Electronic Health Records
Nurses often get overlooked when selecting an electronic health record system (EHR). In the absence of nurses’ participation from the start, the consequences of adopting an EHR that does not meet their needs or does not provide a workflow that allows them to provide patient care in a timely fashion will be very substantial.
Getting nurses involved with EHRs requires hospitals to include medical and bioinformatics staff from the beginning. This allows the staff to be ready and work without becoming overwhelmed. Education and ongoing support are needed for the staff before and after adopting an EHR.
A hospital can improve patient care, nurse documentation, and patient outcomes by selecting an EHR that meets the needs of all stakeholders. This will continue to happen as healthcare becomes more technologically sophisticated. Patients and nurses benefit from the move to electronic health records, which are becoming the standard for health records nationwide.
No matter how large or small your practice is, SmartClinix has a solution for all of your concerns. Your online healthcare practice can run more smoothly with customized EMR solutions from SmartClinix’s board-certified professionals. With SmartClinix, you will receive the highest quality and exact specifications services at the lowest possible cost when comparing it to other platforms. Your medical practice’s development will be stable and beneficial through our services since we are keen on helping you succeed. If you want to learn more about SmartClinix, please visit the website!
