The Benefits Of EHR

February 23, 2016

Imagine visiting the doctor for some ailment that has been bothering you off late or just for a regular health check up and the doctor already has all the necessary and relevant information about you and your medical history. The patient would be relieved of the entire headache to explain the doctor about her medical records and the medical test results that she underwent.

The medical practitioner would also have all the data and history readily available with him for quicker diagnosis. This is the benefit electronic health record systems provide to both the patient and the doctor, alike. With the advent of technology in the world of innovative healthcare software, the world has become an amazing place, with hospitals and medical practitioners adopting newer methods of healing patients, and EHR is one of the jewels in the crown. It has found widespread adoption in most parts of the world, including Australia.

Through electronic health record systems a patient’s medical record can be maintained in digital format. This information is generated in real-time and is available instantaneously and securely over the network. It can also be shared among multiple health care providers, ranging from medical practitioners and laboratories to pharmacies, emergency units and the entire healthcare ecosystem. EHR contains the patient’s medical history, diagnostic results, medications, treatment dates and all relevant information that can be sought for by a doctor in order to proceed with the treatment. Traditionally, this information has been maintained in paper format, where both, the patient and the health care provider were required to keep hard copies the medical records.

The foremost advantage of EHRs is that it is subject to significantly less amount of human error and can be maintain very easily in digital format. It has also greatly enhanced the collaboration among physicians as they can now have full access to the medical history of the patient and can jointly help cure them of their ailments. With ease of access to the most crucial data and more collaboration, a much detailed analysis of the health concerns can be made, by specialists from multiple domains. EHRs also save the time of both the patient and the physician during visits as all the required information is readily available for analysis. This is especially useful during medical emergencies, saving critical time that can be addressed in treatment of the patient. Productivity of healthcare centers is also increased manifold as administrative officials need not spend most of their day doing paperwork and updating patient details.

Technology has been a boon to medical science and the results are reflected well in the advancement of medical care and its outreach to remote people and places. Going digital is indeed a giant leap in attaining excellence in healthcare industry.