The use of medical technology is rapidly gaining momentum in many parts of the world. One of such medical technology that has been embraced by many hospitals and health professionals is Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The use of EHRs has helped in improving the quality of health care services, especially through quality and effective storage and use of patients' data. Developed countries such as the USA have fully embraced the technology, and they are using it to meet the needs of customers. However, like any other medical technology, EHRs has both advantages and disadvantages, including some ethical concerns ( Trainor, 2012) . Thus, it is important to explore the benefits and drawbacks of using EHRs to enhance its effectiveness in improving the quality of health care services.
There is a general perception that the use of technology, especially computer system hampers the quality of patient-physician interaction or communication. As a result, some people believe that EHRs can interfere with the communication between patients and physicians. However, contrary to the common belief, EHRs improves patient-physician communication, particularly through electronic messaging. The use of social media is now transforming how people communicate and share information, particularly through online platforms. Currently, it is estimated that about 30% of people who are aged 18 years an above are using some social media to communicate and share information ( Trainor, 2012) . EHRs are some of the technologies that facilitate electronic communication. Specifically, EHRs helps in facilitating electronic chart between patients and physicians, leading to improved effectiveness of communication in the healthcare sector. The electronic chart helps in achieving real-time sharing of communication, resulting in a quick response in case of emergency issues ( Trainor, 2012) . Also, EHRs facilitate patient communication enhancing the ease of accessing personal health records as well as test results. Therefore, EHRs can be used to improve the quality of communication between patients and physicians, primarily through electronic charts and personal access to health records.
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The main advantage of using EHRs is that it enhances and facilitates the integration of patient health care. Physicians can use EHRs to explore and understand a patient's health history, which is required to improve both the safety and proper treatment. At the same time, by accessing patient health information, a doctor can use data analysis techniques to come up with accurate diagnosis and develop effective medicines and treatment procedures for patients, leading to quality care. Hence, the major advantage of EHRs is the improved quality of care. EHRs also improve job satisfaction among health professionals. For instance, nurses who are using EHRs are likely to report a higher rate of job satisfaction compared to their counterparts who are not using the same technology ( McBride et al ., 2018) . High job satisfaction among health professionals can improve patient care and enhance quality patient-physician relationship.
However, one of the major disadvantages of EHRs is its high financial cost. The initial cost of implementing EHRs in a health facility is always high, making some hospitals to avoid using medical technology ( HFMA, 2016) . Its implementation can affect the revenue cycle while increasing the financial risks significantly. As a result, EHRs can only be used by hospitals that are financially stable because of its initial financial cost. The use of EHRs is also disadvantageous because it posed some patient health data security risks. One of the major concerns that are associated with EHRs is the risks of compromising the security of personal health records ( McBride et al ., 2018) . Unauthorized persons can easily access the patient’s health records, especially when the EHR system is not adequately protected from information security risks. It is important, therefore, for hospitals to address some of the disadvantages or concerns that are linked to the use of EHRs.
The major ethical issue that is related to electronic communication is the need to protect the privacy of patients. For example, by using EHRs, the physician would like to protect the privacy of the patients while ensuring that any authorized persons can access the health information. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), physicians have both moral and legal responsibility to protect the patient health information, particularly from unauthorized persons ( McBride et al ., 2018) . As a result, physicians who are using electronic communication systems like EHRs are likely to face an ethical dilemma that is related to patient privacy. Besides, the electronic chart that is facilitated by medical technologies like EHRs can compromise the privacy of patient health records. Electronic communication in the health environment, though it is important and beneficial, it can create an ethical dilemma because of the challenge of marinating the privacy of patients.
In conclusion, medical technologies such as EHRs are beneficial and should be embraced by all players in the healthcare sector. EHRs can be used to improve the quality of health care services while enhancing patient-physician communication. However, the use of EHRs can cause some challenges, particularly concerning the privacy and confidentiality of health records. Besides, it is important for health professionals to understand ethical issues that are likely to be encountered when using medical technologies.
References
Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). (2016). Ensuring revenue health during EHR implementations, HFMA , 70(2), 1-4.
McBride, S., Tietze, M., Robichaux, C., Stokes, L., & Weber, E. (2018). Identifying and Addressing Ethical Issues with Use of Electronic Health Records. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 23 (1).
Trainor, K. J. (2012). Relating social media technologies to performance: A capabilities-based perspective. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management , 32 (3), 317-331.
