Patient records have at all times been crucial in the running of health organizations, primarily through communication, research, education, and accreditation. In the past paper-based record systems were used in the management of health information data. Observable changes have been seen in the health industries with the evolution from the paper-based systems to Electronic Medical Records (EMR). It is currently the trend in various health organizations driven by technological advancements. Both systems have been debated for on various fronts in the aim of recognizing the most convenient system, as both show a few drawbacks. The paper seeks to elaborate on the alternatives for EMR in case there was a natural disaster that impeded access to the software.
In health organizations, computers are tools that empower patients, implement reforms and improve on healthcare. EMR software allows a health record technician to capture a new patient's information or updates. The information includes diagnosis and treatment, medication history, lab tests and any other relevant information concerning the patient. For this to be possible, internet connection and power are required to facilitate the process. In case of their absence due to a natural disaster, I would opt for a paper-based medical record which requires no internet service or electricity, but pen and papers (Hemler et al., 2018).
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I would recommend an upgrade of the EMR to a Cloud-Based Electronic Medical Record; this would be the best available solution to alleviate the internet server concern. The patient’s data can be managed by deploying an organization’s own IT staff to be responsible for the server connections and to be able to meet the bandwidth required, which are all internal operations. Furthermore, the cloud-based EMR offers all time data available through the cloud; a physician can access a patient’s data at any given point. The organization can also adopt using AC generators in case of external power emergencies or electrical failures (Adler et al., 2017).
References
Adler-Milstein, J., Holmgren, A. J., Kralovec, P., Worzala, C., Searcy, T., & Patel, V. (2017). Electronic health record adoption in US hospitals: the emergence of a digital “advanced use” divide. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , 24 (6), 1142-1148.
Hemler, J. R., Hall, J. D., Cholan, R. A., Crabtree, B. F., Damschroder, L. J., Solberg, L. I., ... & Cohen, D. J. (2018). Practice facilitator strategies for addressing electronic health record data challenges for quality improvement: EvidenceNOW. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine , 31 (3), 398-409.
