Electronic Medical Records
Electronic Medical Records
In this article the author explains patients’ records at healthcare facilities may now be stored using electronic medical records (EMR) instead of the paper charts that have been used in the past. EMRs have several disadvantages and advantages. One of the biggest disadvantages to EMRs is the high initial start-up cost. The healthcare facilities have to buy the equipment to begin the process. They also have to hire people to convert their current files from paper copies to electronic copies. This is a very time-consuming process, which is another disadvantage. Transferring all the medical records takes a good deal of time, and if a doctor has need of a particular file and it hasn’t yet been transferred, the paper copy has to be found. This also increases the possibility of errors (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009).Unfortunately, not all EMR systems work the same. This can be a challenge when putting in a system. Healthcare providers may have different systems from facility to facility, and those systems might not be compatible. If the systems are not compatible, it will likely be difficult to get information about patients instantly (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009). Another challenge that comes up when starting to use an EMR system is the threat of hackers, such as nurses, Doctors and so on printing patients’ records sharing them with other people. When information is stored in a database, virtually anyone can gain access to them. This has happened countless times on the internet in many well-publicized cases, so the possibility that personal medical records could be hacked is concerning to many patients (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009).
One clear advantage to EMRs is the reduction in mistakes made by healthcare providers. Doctors are notorious for having bad handwriting, and that bad handwriting can lead to mistakes being made in prescriptions, treatments, or diagnoses. Using an EMR, the notes and instructions that would typically be
In this article the author explains patients’ records at healthcare facilities may now be stored using electronic medical records (EMR) instead of the paper charts that have been used in the past. EMRs have several disadvantages and advantages. One of the biggest disadvantages to EMRs is the high initial start-up cost. The healthcare facilities have to buy the equipment to begin the process. They also have to hire people to convert their current files from paper copies to electronic copies. This is a very time-consuming process, which is another disadvantage. Transferring all the medical records takes a good deal of time, and if a doctor has need of a particular file and it hasn’t yet been transferred, the paper copy has to be found. This also increases the possibility of errors (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009).Unfortunately, not all EMR systems work the same. This can be a challenge when putting in a system. Healthcare providers may have different systems from facility to facility, and those systems might not be compatible. If the systems are not compatible, it will likely be difficult to get information about patients instantly (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009). Another challenge that comes up when starting to use an EMR system is the threat of hackers, such as nurses, Doctors and so on printing patients’ records sharing them with other people. When information is stored in a database, virtually anyone can gain access to them. This has happened countless times on the internet in many well-publicized cases, so the possibility that personal medical records could be hacked is concerning to many patients (Ellis-Christensen, 2003-2009).
One clear advantage to EMRs is the reduction in mistakes made by healthcare providers. Doctors are notorious for having bad handwriting, and that bad handwriting can lead to mistakes being made in prescriptions, treatments, or diagnoses. Using an EMR, the notes and instructions that would typically be