Electronic health records (EHR) are among the best modern tools that help improve and develop healthcare services. They are a set of digital records that reflect everything that is contained in paper medical records that healthcare providers traditionally use. These records contain the patient’s medical history, information, and reports about the patient’s condition, as well as medications, test results, rumors, and medical notes.
One of the most important characteristics of these records is that they allow information about the medical condition to be easily shared between health care providers, providing improved care and reduced errors, as well as many other benefits and benefits that accrue from the use of electronic health records (EHRs) for both patients and medical caregivers. Clinical studies indicate that more than 75% of physicians and 96% of healthcare providers in the United States primarily use EHRs to provide better care for their patients and reduce the burden on physicians.
The European Commission also adopted an initiative to exchange electronic health records for Europeans in March 2021 to facilitate the flow of health data across the continent, helping European citizens securely access and exchange all their health data.
The government of the United Arab Emirates was the initiator in the Arab region in moving towards the use of digital transformation of the health sector and the use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Entry into this system requires setting up the technological infrastructure for medical care institutions and training caregivers and their staff on those systems.
Healthcare institutions can enter this system by entrusting a company working in the field of automating medical care activity, which provides software development services, through which institutions can benefit from different types of medical software, upgrade it and create applications to serve patients and all care workers.
7 Benefits of Electronic Health Records for Hospitals
The use of electronic health records (EHR) is no longer a luxury or a secondary matter for any hospital or medical center that aspires to provide distinguished medical care to patients, as the benefits and advantages of these records are numerous, and their roles are growing day by day, and the following are the most prominent of these benefits:
1. Improved Patient Care
Electronic health records provide healthcare workers with quick and easy access to important patient information, including patient medical history, medications, test results, and radiology, helping to improve the quality, focus, and accuracy of care in times of emergency.
It also reduces the risk of medical errors by providing a detailed medical history of the case and information about possible drug interactions.
In addition to avoiding medical errors resulting from poor handwriting in writing prescriptions by hand, an American study found that unreadable and accurate handwriting represented a major source of medication errors, exceeding 60% of medication errors in hospitals.
2. Increasing Work Efficiency Within The Organization
Electronic health records automate many administrative tasks within health care units, such as scheduling periodic examinations and surgeries to reduce waiting times, as well as laboratory tests and drug prescriptions.
It also addresses any gaps in medical care, such as missed appointments or follow-up exams, as well as reducing the amount of time and resources needed to manage patient records and reducing the amount of paperwork and administrative tasks that save costs for the organization.
3. Facilitate Communication Between Health Care Providers
Electronic health records facilitate communication between health care providers, such as between a primary care physician and a specialist, and ensure that all providers have access to the same information, enabling them to make informed decisions about a patient’s condition and medication prescriptions.
4. Determine Pathological Trends
EHRs enable healthcare providers to identify patient trends and patterns, such as common health problems or high-risk patients, by collecting and analyzing data.
This helps caregivers develop targeted interventions for each condition, significantly improving overall health.
5. Improving and Supporting Research Capabilities in the Medical Field
Electronic health records can be used to collect patient data, medications used, disease progression, and drug interactions for research and clinical trials.
It helps improve our understanding of diseases and their treatments, leading to the development new and more effective treatments with fewer side effects and interactions with other medicines.
6. Increasing Patient Participation & Improving His Experience
Electronic health records give patients access to their health information, including test results, medications, and visit reports, enabling them to take a positive role in their own healthcare.
As well as providing easy access to it for the patient would improve his overall care experience, thus increasing his satisfaction and acceptance of the institution.
7. Better Record Keeping & Collection
Electronic health records are more accurate, clear, and easily accessible than paper records, as their use reduces the chances of errors arising and provides better preservation of information and reports so that they are easily shared among patients for reference at any time.
Conversion to an electronic health record (EHR) system and the automation of healthcare services has become inevitable for any healthcare organization seeking to provide outstanding, high-quality medical services that satisfy patients and help improve public health.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, implementing electronic health records (EHRs) is crucial in modernizing healthcare services and improving patient care. EHRs allow for easy sharing of information between healthcare providers, reducing errors and increasing efficiency within organizations. The benefits of EHRs are numerous, including improved patient care, increased work efficiency, facilitated communication, pathological trend analysis, enhanced research capabilities, increased patient participation, and better record-keeping. The European Commission and the government of the United Arab Emirates have recognized the importance of EHRs and have adopted initiatives to promote their use. For healthcare organizations, switching to EHRs is no longer a luxury but a necessary step in providing outstanding medical care to patients and improving public health.