Electronic health records — or EHRs — are gaining ground as more providers and patients see the benefits of making health records universally available by digitizing them. EHRs allow doctors to provide better care because they make the entirety of a patient’s medical history instantly available. That means no more digging around in a file folder full of papers and studying multiple documents to assemble a complete picture of a patient’s health history and their condition’s progression. It also means patients can take their complete medical records with them from one provider to another without fuss; they can have access to their health care information whenever they want and their prescriptions are easier to fill. The benefits even extend into the public health sector.
Patients with Electronic Health Records Get Better Care
Studies show doctors and other health care providers who rely on EHRs give their patients better care than those who rely on paper records alone. Providers who use EHRs can more readily track changes in a patient’s condition, and more easily and quickly identify patterns symptomatic of disease. EHRs also help doctors keep track of what care a patient has already received — even when they received that care from another provider, and even when that provider was far away.
When a patient with an EHR seeks care from an unfamiliar provider, that provider can look up the patient’s health history and learn about his or her condition and how his or her regular physician may proceed with care. When that same patient returns to his or her regular provider, the regular provider can pick up right where the unfamiliar provider left off. EHRs reduce the potential for mistakes that occur when patients receive care from multiple providers who are unaware of one another’s care decisions.
Digital records also allow doctors in remote or rural areas to consult with distant specialists when confronted with an unfamiliar or difficult-to-treat condition. The remote specialist can access a faraway patient’s test and lab results from his office, with no need to physically see the patient.
EHRs also help doctors provide the preventative care patients need. Digital records that can be universally accessed let doctors know what diagnostic tests and exams their patients have already received — and which ones they still need. This helps doctors catch serious illnesses early, when they can be easily treated. It can, in some instances, save lives.
Prescription Drug Use Is Safer
Another primary benefit of EHRs is their ability to flag the health care provider if a new prescription they’re writing could cause a potential drug interaction. This is of particular importance to patients who are taking a number of prescription drugs. EHRs also make filling prescriptions safer and easier —pharmacists no longer have to decipher a doctor’s poor handwriting to fill a prescription. With the help of digital records and prescription requests, pharmacists can confidently provide the right medication in the right dosage, and reduce the risks associated with prescription-filling mistakes.
Patients Have More Access to Their Own Health Data
In addition to allowing health care providers around the nation to access a patient’s complete medical history, EHRs also make it easier for patients to gain access to their medical data and be more proactive about their health. A patient with an EHR can simply log in to an account on his or her provider’s website. From there, he or she can access test results and lab work, request prescription refills, schedule appointments and ask his or her provider questions. By the time you earn your degree in health care online, there’s a good chance all hospitals and private practices will be using EHRs.
Electronic Records Have Public Health Benefits
Public health officials can use the data from EHRs to identify outbreaks of disease and other information relevant to public health. That’s because EHRs are shared on a health information exchange that allows public health information officials to identify disease outbreaks, immunization rates or clusters of symptoms that could signify high rates of non-contagious disease in a given region. Using this data, public health officials can better implement policies geared toward improving general health.
Electronic health records, or EHRs, are becoming more popular as more doctors and hospitals find that they have impressive benefits for patients and providers alike. EHRs make it easy for patients to get the care they need no matter where they are, and can help them get better care all around.
About the Author: Contributing blogger Rhiannon Davidson has worked in private practice for almost 20 years and thoroughly supports the implementation of electronic health records.
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