What Are the Advantages of Emr?

A medical record documents a patient's health history, and typically has numerous components of paperwork gathered into a folder and stored in a filing area. An electronic medical record (EMR) is a computer-based medical record. Health care centers are increasingly switching to EMRs because they have many advantages.

Description

• A patient medical record contains notes from the physician, hospital charts, test and laboratory results, x-ray records, medication records and any other relevant information.

Features

• An EMR allows staff at any networked location to view the patient's medical record without waiting for them to be transferred from one area to another. Emergency room physicians can immediately view patient information. Allergies are prominently displayed, preventing adverse drug reactions.

Paper Record Disadvantages

• In contrast to electronic records, paper medical records can become misplaced or damaged. They require storage space and extra administrative work. They are by nature disorganized, and more difficult to analyze as a complete entity.

Security Considerations

• Patients may worry about the security of electronic records. EMRs can be designed to restrict access to certain staff members, or for certain information to be made available to certain staff. The system can also track who has accessed the record.

Networking

• Various departments can use one EMR at the same time. Clinical staff can analyze data while administrative staff works on an insurance claim, and medical coders input data into the billing system.