Technologies for the EHRs

Technologies for the Electronic Medical Record Systems

Web-based Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs, Document Imaging, and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) will be discussed. Some examples of users will also provided.

Web-Based Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs

In the information age, the Internet and web-based technology have been applied in business, education, and government dramatically. In healthcare services today the web-based technology also is used for improving th equality of health services. It is easy to customize application softwares and costly. One of the research states that, in the United States, about one-third of the nation's health systems have installed some form of electronic records. Most large system vendors offer web-based medical record systems.

All patients, for example, in the University of Washington system have an electronic web-based Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs. The Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs record allow measurement of most clinical process measures and outcomes. Physician satisfaction, in addition, will be measured by survey.

In addition, the web-based medical record system or Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs, called the Patient Clinical Information System (PatCIS), has been implemented in the New York Hospital.

Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs Disadvantages

Disadvantages of Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs

Although Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs offers many advantages of health care services, the Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs also has some disadvantages. The computerized medical record, for example, can be quite costly to institute. In addition, due to a lack of privacy policies, patient information may not be protected. The information may be changed because of a telecommunication error or lack of security measures.

More disadvantages of the Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs will be discussed later.

Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs Advantages

Advantages of Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs

The potential advantages of Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs are widespred. Some of these advantages are shown below.

Information access

• Rapid and convenient access to online health information.
• Reduce the problems of distance for remote health services.

Clinical improvements

• Timely information access for clinical decision making.
• Readily available, multidisciplinary health information.

Epidemiological benefits

• Vast quantities of health data to draw on for research purposes.

Increased administrative and management efficiency

• Optimization of record management.
• Security and controlled access by authorized users.
• Elimination of information duplication.

Financial savings

• Minimization of record storage space and paper costs.
• Streamlining of administrative and management functions.

Improved healthcare quality

• Increased access to information crucial to determining health outcomes.
• The organization's operations will become more transparent making it easier to monitor and evaluate organizational activities.

There are more advantages of Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs which will be discussed later.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications for Third Parties

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications for Government Agencies

The government agencies have varying degrees of interest in and authority to influence Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs development and implementation. The agencies will be able to provide substantial funding for research and development of EHRs Electronic Medical Record Systems technology. In addition, the government can support standards development through funding or a regulatory mandate.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications for Educational Institutes and Research Centers

The efficiency and effectiveness of medical research are directly linked to the accessibility, validity, and completeness of necessary medical data. With the EHRs Electronic Medical Record Systems, researches will be able to identify quickly a study population of records that meet certain eligibility criteria. The Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs can facilitate more valid and precise research because a larger sample of patient records can be studied.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Advantages

The Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs system, in addition, offers several advantages for education. According to Dick, Steen and Detmer, for example, professional schools (i.e., schools of medicine, nursing, and dentistry) would be able to use the Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs information to teach healcare professions students and organize conferences and presentations.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Concerns

However, Ball and Collen stated that there were some concerns relating to the ease of use, completeness and accuracy of data, data confidentiality, and system security. Thus, development of the Electronic Medical Record Systems EHRs should focus on the human interface such that the Electronic Medical Record Systems responds quickly and easy to use.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications for Medical Professionals

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications and Impacts for Medical Professionals

The implications of the Electronic Medical Record Systems for medical professionals are they have to learn to use a new technology, and have to change their behavior. Some physicians or nurses may view the Electronic Medical Record Systems or EHRs as a threat to their professional roles and resist implementation of Electronic Medical Record Systems.

Alternatively, professionals may support the development of the Electronic Medical Record Systems by participating in planning and influencing their peers. In addition, the medical professionals will be able to improve efficiency and quality of healthcare services using the Electronic Medical Record Systems.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications and Impacts

This section will discuss implications and impacts of the Electronic Medical Record Systems related to patients, medical professionals, and the third parties, such as the government agencies, insurance companies, and educational and research institutes.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Implications and Impacts for Patients

In regards to the decision of the government to implement the electronic health record systems or Electronic Medical Record Systems, there are a number of benefits for patients. For example, the patients will be able to manage their own healthcare by themselves. They will also be able to verify their billing. However, the patients still have concerns about the privacy of their personal information, and the security of Electronic Medical Record Systems.

In addition, patients are no more likely than health care professionals to use or understand the computer. Patients may distrust the Electronic Medical Record Systems and may select healthcare provides on the basis of the use of an Electronic Medical Record Systems.

Electronic Medical Record Systems Background

Current, the government announced that the country is to become the leader to put medical records on an electronic database or Electronic Medical Record Systems (EMR). The new Electronic Medical Record Systems will replace paper records within two years.

Because of the Electronic Medical Record Systems, many people have concerned about patients' privacy and security of the system. They recommended that the government should legislate privacy and security safeguards to guarantee the patients' information or the Electronic Medical Record information.