Electronic Health Records (EHR) are all about communication and building communication. This communication must be secure, private, quick and accurate. Just like we would want our health care to be.
By nature, paper records have the ability to be lost, smudged, misplaced, or switched with another patient’s records. This leads to errors such as re-ordered lab results, an incomplete patient history, or more X-rays. With inaccurate information, doctors and nurses cannot communicate effectively with other healthcare providers in order to properly treat their patients.
Electronic health records allow communications to be recorded, streamlined and comprehensive. The system is a boon to patient/provider exchange. Because the information is organized and available, repetition is reduced allowing both the patient and the provider to move forward in the diagnoses and treatment.
Also, some patients may be encouraged to keep their own personal health records (PHR). These records will help providers be able to see a more complete picture of their patient. With personal health records, patients can be more active in their health care decision making. They will have more complete information to share with their provider.
Healthcare providers can:
- Read and fill prescriptions
- Discuss patient cases with experts from across the country
- Look at X-rays and MRI pictures at the click of a button
Communication is often a life or death connection. An EHR system is secure, quick and accurate. In this case it may even be a life saver.
To learn more about this issue, read Nancy Stafford’s full article.