2. As with any technology, EHRs also have their own cons. Though these kinds of records have been introduced for proper integration of data, there have been cases when EHRs have failed. Doctors and nurses often juggle multiple tasks and in times of emergencies, technology mismatch occurs and the patient is given wrong treatment. Defective functionality could mislead clinicians. There have been instances where there is a wrong screen display or when erroneous values result from a programming error. Not being much user friendly is a characteristic of EHRs. They are sometimes complicated and the users fail to comprehend its computations and therefore tend to make wrong decisions (Kapoor, 2014). The doctors are at times so much dependant on the EHRs for clinical decisions that they miss specific data since the system did not alert them to check it.
3. The healthcare industry of the U.S has undergone massive change over the years. In the 1960s, the first Computerized Patient Record (CPRs) was introduced. The CPR was viewed as a repository of clinical information. It was designed for medical support assessment systems and links for medical knowledge. Early in the 1970s, the section of Veteran Affairs (VA) first implemented its vision of EHR, which was then called as Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA). The information of the patient was generated and electronically recorded at a particular facility and was accessible only in that location (Kocher, 2012). Certain departments such as patient registration started using EHRs. There were only single application uses of the EHRs in the early years.
4. There are several benefits of storing data in EHRs rather than in traditional healthcare tools. The following statements will demonstrate the advantages of EHRs:
- Handwritten prescriptions or carelessly written paper notes cannot be termed as structured data. Hence, they cannot be stored in computer or transferred via with other systems (Devkota & Devkota, 2014).
- EHRs provide a reliable source of data due to which the patient care condition can be extensively increased.
- EHRs certainly help the doctors or nurses to make decisions since these records provide clinical alerts and support diagnostic decisions.
- These records have fulfilled the customers’ expectations largely. Now, there are less loss of charts or data, easy online appointments and fast delivery of laboratory reports to the patients.
- With the rise of technology and the Internet, EHRs are the perfect tool for the Healthcare industry. The patient data is easily accessible to the users whenever and wherever possible.
References:
Devkota, B., & Devkota, A. (2014). Electronic health records: advantages of use and barriers to adoption. Health Renaissance, 11(3), 181-184.
Kapoor, S. (2014). Electronic health records: critique and solutions (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh).
Kocher, R. (2012). Health care reform: Trends driven by the evolution of US health care policy.
Silow-Carroll, S., Edwards, J. N., & Rodin, D. (2012). Using electronic health records to improve quality and efficiency: the experiences of leading hospitals. Issue Brief (Commonw Fund), 17, 1-40.
