ELECTRONIC HEALTHCARE

Electronic Healthcare
Name
Institution

Electronic Healthcare
Electronic medical records (EMR) is the process of digitalizing clinical records that is dependent on computer applications. The records include treatment and medical history of patients within a single practice. That is, it allows clinicians to track patients’ pertinent data as time goes by, identifies when patients are due for visits, checks how patient care is progressing and improves health care services provision. In essence, EMR makes patients’ records keeping more efficient, comprehensive, accurate and easier to conduct. To accomplish its objectives, EMR utilizes specialized software that allows for electronic data entry, storage and archiving for easy retrieval (Malloch & Porter-O’Grady, 2010). Therefore, EMR is a digital system for managing clinical records.
Despite EMR being touted as a revolutionary technology that eliminates the more cumbersome paper-based record keeping, it presents some deficiencies and challenges. Firstly, there is increased provider time since clinicians spend considerable time entering data and validating them. Secondly, there is a lack of standardization for data exchange that makes it difficult to shift records between different health facilities. This is because each facility adopts a system that best serves their needs and is unique to them. Thirdly, it presents a security and confidentiality threat since the records can be hacked (Carrol, 2011). An example of this threat has been seen after the 2016 Olympics when hackers accessed the athletes’ private medical records and posted the sensitive data on the internet.

Finally, inability to develop algorithms that accurately interpret narrative texts – highly elliptical languages that are often misspelled – for research and health care application (Carrol, 2011). In this respect, EMR faces difficulties in its application.
EMR is not a novel concept. This is because, hospital records digitalization began as far back as the advent of computers. In this case, personnel electronically stored financial, laboratory and administrative data concerning medical care. EMR was further made easier by the installation of automated equipment. As more data recording functions become digitalized, an increasing number of hospital records become computerized (Skolnik, 2010). Over time the EMR design will become more sophisticated to include features intended to increase its usability. Firstly, the new design includes a query function for easy searches. Secondly, data display is flexible to include graphical outputs such as graphs and flow sheets. Thirdly, data is stamped with dates and time to ensure that they follow a chronological progression. Finally, it incorporates large data dictionaries that define content (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2011). For instance, Computer Stored Ambulatory Record (COSTAR) was developed as a core EMR system with each institution expected to modify it to best meet their clinical and financial data digitalization needs. Other EMR system examples that have been developed over time include Health Evaluation through Logical Processing (HELP) and Regenstrief Medical Record System (RMRS). Thus, EMR has developed to be a better hospital data entry, recording, and archiving tool.
Despite its revolutionary nature, EMR still has much room to improve. This is because, the ideal EMR system must be beneficial to health care provision. In this case, the clinicians who enter and use the data must be able to efficiently plan patient care based on the stored data. For that matter, the data entry activity must be easy and not time intensive, while data retrieval must be similarly easy and fast. In addition, the clinicians must be involved in all aspects of the system, and the data safety and confidentiality must not be compromised. In this case, measures must be adequate to stop unauthorized entry, and appropriately punish those who violate this edict. Nevertheless, the system must not restrict clinician’s access. In this respect, EMR system usability can be improved by facilitating faster data entry and retrieval, and ensuring data safety (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2011).
One must accept that EMR provides an opportunity for clinical records to be digitalized using customized computer applications and systems. Using features such as automation, query functions, graphical outputs, data stamping, and dictionaries, it manages to serve its data digitalization functions. For instance, it uses software and computer-based technologies to record, store and access data. Conversely, it faces challenges and deficiencies in the form of time intensiveness, lack of standardization, data security concerns, and inability to accurately interpret narrative texts. That said, one has no option but to agree that EMR still has room for improvement; to include data safety upgrades and clinicians involvement. Therefore, EMR is an electronic system for managing health care facility data.

References
Buchbinder, S. & Shanks, N. H. (2011). Introduction to Health Care Management. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Carroll, R. (2011). Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Malloch, K. & Porter-O’Grady, T. (2010). Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Health Care. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Skolnik, N. S. (2010). Electronic Medical Records: A Practical Guide for Primary Care. Berlin: Springer Publishers.