Electronic Medical Record Systems
Electronic medical record systems contain standardized medical as well as clinical data that is gathered in the office of a particular healthcare provider. The systems do not only focus on collecting data. In this case, the systems assist in tracking patient data over a given duration, they assist in the identification of patients and monitoring the manner in which they measure up to particular parameters. These provisions assist in ensuring that the quality of care is high. In this light, the healthcare providers that use the electronic medical reporting systems report the achievement of tangible improvements in relation to their decision-making capabilities since they have comprehensive information. For this reason, the adoption of the electronic medical recording systems by a healthcare provider is essential for ensuring that they have accurate as well as complete information related to the condition of a particular patient.
According to O'Toole et al. (2005), technological advancements have been influential in ensuring improvements in healthcare provision. The authors identify the fundamental components of the systems as dependent on evidence-based clinical performance measures for the physicians as well as the implementation function of the electronic systems. This information points towards the idea that the components of the systems assist the physicians to coordinate the care they provide to patients. In this regard, the ability to coordinate care is of particular importance to patients that have chronic medical conditions. By sharing the collected data with the family members of the patient, it is possible for the families to take part in making decisions about the needs of the patient.
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As posited by Robert Miller and Ida Sim (2004), electronic medical records make it possible for physicians to pursue programs meant to improve the quality of care given to patients. The authors indicate that it would be difficult for physicians to implement the programs using paper-based records. From their study, Miller and Sim (2004) identified that for physicians to improve the quality of care they give to patients, it would be vital for them to adopt the use of the electronic medical recording system. Based on this provision, they suggest that it would be vital for policymakers to come up with policy interventions necessary for overcoming the barriers to achieving high quality medical care.
One of the barriers identified is the provision that the electronic medical recording systems are costly. The attached costs include the provision that they have an uncertain financial payoff as well as the initial costs attached to physician time are high (Miller & Sim, 2004). The attached initial costs for adapting the electronic medical system might accrue for a considerable period. In spite of the high costs, it would be vital to assess the worth of adopting the electronic systems in relation to the patient outcomes. In this regard, given that the adoption of the electronic recording systems is vital for improving the quality of care provided by the physicians, it would be vital to consider the long-term benefits that would be derived from the adoption of the electronic systems. Based on the idea that the adoption will improve the quality of care provided to the patients, an individual would argue that disregarding the related costs would be a wise decision.
The other barrier that physicians might face when considering the adoption of the electronic medical recording systems is the inadequacy of the support that physician need as well as the complementary changes that consume a significant amount of the physicians’ time. The role of a physician in using the electronic medical recording system is vital since they focus on providing much of the information that is used. For this reason, it would be essential to acquire input from several professionals to ensure that the physicians acquire significant technical as well as personnel support in the form of training. Conversely, the professionals can encourage the use of the electronic systems among the different staff members within the healthcare facilities. The knowledge acquired through training is essential for enabling the physicians to design their exam room workflow as well as their office workflow. The designs are essential for ensuring speedy visit documentation.
The information derived from assessing the different sources on electronic medical recording systems reveals that healthcare providers are moving slowly to adopt the technologies. It would be possible to posit that the slow adoption is presumably a result of the lack of readiness from the part of the healthcare providers, which creates organizational weaknesses in terms of undergoing organizational transformation when implementing the different technological systems. In line with this argument is the idea that the slow adoption rate could suggest that the physicians are not willing to adopt the technology. Their unwillingness might be strong since they are considered as the front-line user group for the electronic medical recording systems. Their decision to adopt the systems or otherwise has a significant influence on the other user groups such as the administrative staff as well as the nurses. For this reason, it would be vital to take note of the idea that physicians have a significant impact on the overall levels of adopting the systems in a healthcare organization.
On the other hand, an assessment of the information presented regarding the electronic medical recording systems reveals that the complexity of the electronic systems play a part in the slow adoption of the systems by physicians (Miller & Sim, 2004). In this light, some of the physicians consider the electronic medical recording systems as challenging to use due to the multiplicity of the screens as well as the navigational aids. This provision introduces the element of usability issues, which calls for the need for the physicians to allocate their time as well as efforts to ensure that they acquire knowledge on how to use the systems. In this regard, they have to learn how to use the electronic systems in an effective and efficient manner, which is essential for ensuring that they do not consider the technological application as a burden to their work. Since the new technology is essential for the improvement of care, it would be vital to ensure the physicians take enough time to learn how to use the system.
To conclude, it would be wise to indicate that the adoption of the electronic medical recording systems has more benefits than demerits. In this regard, clinicians are in a better position to improve patient safety using the technology, which calls for the need for them to use the systems in an effective manner after they are availed. By considering the information derived from the assessment, it is clear that clinicians can use the technology to improve their decision-making abilities in the light of the most appropriate measure to take when treating a patient’s condition. However, it would be essential to consider implementing policies that are inclusive of providing training to medical students on how to use the technology, which is a recommendation that would assist in accelerating the implementation of the systems in different healthcare facilities in the country.
References
Miller, R., & Sim, I. (2004). Physicians' Use of Electronic Medical Records: Barriers And Solutions. Health Affairs , 23 (2), 116-126.
O'Toole, M., Kmetik, K., Bossley, H., Cahill, J., Kotsos, T., Schwamberger, P., & Bufalino, V. (2005). Electronic Health Record Systems: The Vehicle for Implementing Performance Measures. The American Heart Hospital Journal , 3 (2), 88-93.
