Information technology has become an essential component of the healthcare system, whose integration helps improve service delivery and quality of patient care. A medical history is a communication tool that supports physicians in making decisions, coordinating services, evaluating quality and efficacy of care and improve the patient experience. Electronic health records are essential for nursing informatics used to increase efficiency and healthcare provision ( De La Torre-Díez, Antón-Rodríguez & Díaz-Pernas, 2011) . They allow for comprehensive access to patient medical histories giving physicians a better chance to make decisions that can improve the provision of care.
The changing healthcare environment necessitates the need to adopt technology in the operations which have seen the adoption of electronic health record systems that have proved to improve quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of healthcare. However, while Electronic health records are getting into health facilities, there are still challenges with having physicians spend most of their time on computers. The solution to this problem is to integrate handheld devices into electronic health records that can help improve quality of care. This can be made possible through the use of EHR application that allows viewing all types of medical records including nursing charts, clinical observational charts, medical consultation and doctor’s orders from a handheld device ( Dmitrienko et al., 2011).
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Among the issues affecting the quality of care provided in healthcare facilities is the amount of wait time that a patient spends, changing their experience and satisfaction. The medical field is characterized by cumbersome practices where providers have to access a particular department to obtain health records and aid in treating patients ( De La Torre-Díez, Antón-Rodríguez & Díaz-Pernas, 2011) . As a result, any breakdown in the electronic health records department affects the entire facility and the provision of patient care. Paper-based systems and computer-based medical records have several limitations including limiting easy access to medical files when dealing with an emergency. It can become overbearing and tedious to manage electronic health records including a longer process of retrieving the documents and responding to all requests. As a result, there will be a problem with easy access to medical files for providers who are in a far distance from the health facility and seeking to provide care. The challenge of accessibility wastes time is attending to patients.
The proposal is to introduce a comprehensive system of handheld electronic health records. The intention is that physicians can access each patient’s electronic record including information about their medical history, lifestyle and care preferences on mobile devices to increase efficiency. This would make documents accessible to all health and social care providers with the information updated in real-time to accommodate all patient’s records ( Bates et al., 2003) . The proposal is thus to develop an integrated mobile application prototype with the intention of providing mobility and usability of medical records for healthcare providers. The mobile application for electronic health records will allow for all care providers to access the patient health records except when the information causes serious harm to the patient. Physicians will need a password to access patient information through the mobile application
Introducing handheld electronic medical records is crucial in changing how physicians access medical records to increase efficiency. The possibility of being able to locate a patient’s medical records using handheld devices changes how therapists interact with patients. They allow a therapist to quickly open a patient’s file from anywhere rather than having to depend on access to computers or paper-based documentation. The evolution of mobile devices and smartphones opens new possibilities for providing integrated mobile services in healthcare. Smartphones have become an everyday part of many physicians, and it will be easy to make these phones part of their professional practice ( Dmitrienko et al., 2011) .
Implementing this proposal requires planning and preparation that entails staff training to integrate the system into operations. The facility may experience some initial costs to implement the system, which involves creating the mobile application and making sure all information is up to date with system upgrades to ensure there are no gaps in data losses ( Ventola, 2014) . In this regard, implementing this program will require support from hospital managers since it requires time and cost to implement the change. The managers will be part of providing the necessary support from developing mobile applications through funding. Other stakeholders impacted by this project include care providers such as physicians, therapists, doctors and laboratory physicians who are involved in accessing and documenting medical records to help in providing care services. Clinical laboratories play a crucial role in patient care as they are supposed to deliver proper tests for doctors.
The key strategies to integrate electronic health records into handheld devices include making of the mobile application. This will be followed by entering all medical records and patient information into the mobile application by implementing a point of service scanning of real-time data, transferring all data into a database and storing it electronically. The change will be introduced into the hospital in a single phase where physicians will be expected to install a mobile application that has all patient medical records and provide patient care. The mobile app will be user-friendly and patient-centered, thus increasing both patient and staff experience ( Ventola, 2014) . It will also be a customized mobile application specifically for the organization, allowing for easier access to health records. This proposal can help improve the cost of healthcare by simplifying interaction between patient and provider
Mobile HER represents one of the significant growth areas in the EHR market to enhance practice efficiency. The ability to access medical records via handheld devices can reduce the total time that physicians need to log into workstations while on duty ( Dmitrienko et al., 2011) . The proposal will facilitate earlier order entry and the management time to access patient time. This can also ensure that physicians get more time interacting with patients than spending with computers. Accessing patient records through handheld devices can offer primary and secondary benefits for patients and clinicians. It allows physicians to view and know the status within and outside of the hospital with ease. This which can save time for physicians that allows them an opportunity to deal with patients since medical decision can only be satisfied when care providers have the necessary information ( De La Torre-Díez, Antón-Rodríguez & Díaz-Pernas, 2011) .
There are many benefits of integrating electronic records to handheld devices and improve patient care. The main advantage of handheld electronic records is having all information in one place and making it easier to access medical records for patients. Handheld devices simplify the day to day functions of physicians within the facility, making it easy and flexible to access the patient’s demographic data from a mobile device ( Choi et al., 2013) . The improved documentation in handheld devices enhances communication and care coordination between primary and secondary care providers due to ease of accessing information from the comfort of a handheld device. As such, doctors from remote areas can still attend to patients without having to visit a health facility and access medical records.
Secondly, accessing electronic health records from handheld devices reduces medical errors as any updates to the patient medical records are automatically stored in the files. It also offers the possibility of automated tracking alerts for lab findings that can make physicians more informed when dealing with the patient. Clinicians agree that having access to patient information from handheld devices can improve care and patient involvement. This program will be used to enhance the safety and care standard of the facility by reducing any medical errors or misunderstanding that can affect medical decisions. It can improve physician performance and patient care by facilitating changes in documentation, reduce medical errors and improve decision support ( Choi et al., 2013) .
Its implementation would also contribute to higher patient satisfaction as handheld electronic medical records can improve physician performances and patient care. The handheld devices facilitate point of care access to electronic media records, providing physicians with information needed to improve patient safety. Handheld devices are portable and lightweight compared to computers and therefore allows for easy access from any point ( Dmitrienko et al., 2011) . As such they will facilitate healthcare information access in a single view from anywhere. There is also a benefit of improved documents with mobile device use that promotes improved decision making and physician efficiency.
In conclusion, the organization needs to implement handheld devices that access patient record as one way of enhancing easy access to the files. Going wireless can help stream a variety of internal operations in the organization that can improve patient experience and quality of care. The proposal will allow for digital management of medical records for patients, reducing waiting time while meeting the needs of staff and patients. While implementing the project can take up costs and time, the benefits outweigh the costs.
References
Bates, D. W., Ebell, M., Gotlieb, E., Zapp, J., & Mullins, H. C. (2003). A proposal for electronic medical records in US primary care. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , 10 (1), 1-10.
Choi, W., Park, M. A., Hong, E., Kim, S., Ahn, R., Hong, J., ... & Yeo, S. (2013). Development of mobile electronic health records application in a secondary general hospital in Korea. Healthcare informatics research , 19 (4), 307-313.
De La Torre-Díez, I., Antón-Rodríguez, M., & Díaz-Pernas, F. J. (2011). Mobile Web Application Development to Access to Psychiatric Electronic Health Records. In Telemedicine Techniques and Applications . IntechOpen.
Dmitrienko, A., Hadzic, Z., Löhr, H., Sadeghi, A. R., & Winandy, M. (2011, January). Securing the access to electronic health records on mobile phones. In International Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies (pp. 365-379). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Mobile devices and apps for health care professionals: uses and benefits. Pharmacy and Therapeutics , 39 (5), 356.
