Advancement in technology is rapidly revolutionizing industries. The United States has adopted the digital technology of Meaningful Use Program to co cope with technology advancement. In health, the uses and its meaning is always categorized by using the technology of certified Electronic Health Records sensibly to give its definition, ensures the connections of the certified EHR technology enable the exchange of information about health electronically in the aim of enhancing good and quality healthcare services. It also ensures that those providing the services submit to the health offices of the secretary together with the (HS) or the Human Services on the use of EHR technology which delivers quality information and other health measures (CDC, 2017). Meaningful use recorded by the United States government is estimated to be the low standards of HER technology that outlines how clinical information regarding patients should be exchanged among the stakeholders.
HITECH act which stands for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health is among the many measures meant to modernize the infrastructure of the U.S. These measures were enacted concerning the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA) in 2009. As an effort led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HITECH supports the electronic way of keeping the records in the health department as the concept brings about the meaningful use of the program (EHR-MU) in the provision of health services (CDC, 2017). The program is designed to be implemented in three stages. Stage 1 of the program was launched in 2010 which was focused on data capture as well as sharing. The second stage was started in the year 2014 aiming at capturing the clinical processes that are of quality and advanced. The third stage is aimed at improving the outcomes of preceding stages and thereby simplifying the program.
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Relationship of EHR, EMR and ePHR to Clinical Information System
The Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and Electronic Personal Health Records (PHRs) are significant components of the clinical information system. Electronic Medical Records digitally records information collected by clinicians replacing paper charts. They enable health providers in diagnosis and treatment, and track data over time and thus valuable than paper charts. They assist in identifying the clients or patients that require preventive screening services as well as visits, monitoring them and improving the overall quality of the healthcare services provided.
Electronic health records are designed for going beyond the inclusion of the overall care concerning the patient. They contain data related to the care of the patient including the ones that they have received from various clinicians and enable other clinicians to access that in information to provide care to that patient. They are also able to share information among other health care providers such as nursing home, specialists and laboratories. Electronic Personal health records, on the other hand, contain information similar to EHRs but unlike the PHRs, they are created in a way that they can be managed and accessed by the patients. They enable the patient to manage and maintain their health information in a place that is confidential and sure of security. They are also able to add information from outside sources such as home monitoring devices, other clinicians and even themselves. The computerization of processes is of significance as nursing staff do not need clarifications from physicians, and petitioning missing and incomplete medications. This has reduced medication errors caused by poor penmanship of most physicians.
Goals and Objectives; Seen Daily
The meaningful use program goals and objectives are having changed health institutions. The major objectives are as follows: they plan to improve safety measures, quality and efficient services, and reduction of health disparities. The program also intends to engage of all patients including their families and relatives in their health programs, improve public and population health and improve coordination in care. Lastly, it aims to ensure full privacy as well as enough security and finally protection for patients’ personal health information. Achievement of these objectives is notable in health institutions, and as the program moves to stage 3, it is evident that the program with transform health industry in line with the emerging digital advancement.
Implications
The first stage of the program has 13 core criterion and ten menu set objectives. Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) is the first core criteria which entail the providers enter medication orders directly by use of computer assistance. The electronic prescription process and CPOE technologies have been seen to be very useful in the reduction of related medical errors in many significant ways. Pharmacists and the prescribers will easily review medication history with the use of the accurate electronic patient medication profile. Pharmacists are also able to communicate any issue arising to prescribers (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011). Thus CPOE technology reduces medication errors.
The successful implementation of CPOE technology has also reduced medication errors as orders are entered into a computer by the providers. The computerization of processes is of significance as pharmacist and nursing staff do not need clarifications from physicians, and petitioning missing and incomplete medications. This has reduced medication errors caused by poor penmanship of most physicians (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011).
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths of the Electronic Health Records can be examined by considering its ability to bring changes in organizational, societal, and clinical outcomes. Clinical outcomes include the ability to reduce medical errors, the ability to improve the quality of the healthcare, and the ability to improve on patient-level measures describing the appropriateness of care. On the other hand, organizational outcomes include operational and financial performance and satisfaction to users of the EHR such as patients and clinicians. Finally, societal outcomes that are strengths of the EHR include its ability to facilitate research as well as the achievement of improved population health (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011).
Contrary to the growing focus on the benefits of the various functionalities of EHR, there are weaknesses with the technology. These include changes in workflows, unintended consequences, financial issues, privacy and security concerns, and temporal loss of productivity associated with adopting HER technology.
Challenges
As much as it is good with all the useful features, it also faces some challenges which are known to raise both ethical and legal issues. These issues include the right of privacy of the patients at risk primarily because the use of electronic methods are known to be accessed easily by anyone and that can expose the private information of the patients to other parties (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011). On the other hand, the main challenged experienced during the meaningful use of the technology may include the unpreparedness nature of the nurses concerning its meaningful use. Nurses cannot always be familiar with the new technologies especially when it comes to their use as well as their application given the code of conduct which they are required to observe.
There will also be insufficient nature of current legal regulations which are used to operate and apply the meaningful use of the new technologies. As a result, this will make nurses to face difficulties as the technology advances due to lack of legal regulations to guide their operations (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011). This makes them encounter serious ethical issues as well as situations that are always questionable. This kind of conditions makes them go out of their moral background and find solutions to the problems they tend to face.
Recommendations
Regarding recommendations, the training process to the nurses is fundamental and should be taken seriously to make sure that meaningful use is achieved. The training must and should cover three main areas that will ensure that quality is achieved. These three main areas include technological, legal and cultural/ethical. This training is beneficial to the development and full understanding of the nurses of the meaningful use of these new technologies (Menachemi, & Collum, 2011). It will also make sure that the nurses are familiar with what they are doing and as a result, they will produce better outcomes that will favor the patients and their overall health as well. The training will also ensure the growth of nurses as well as their knowledge to the significance of the meaningful utilization and they will also be a position to utilize the technologies in a meaningful manner.
References
CDC. (2017). Public Health and Promoting Interoperability Programs (formerly, known as Electronic Health Records Meaningful Use). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services . Retrieved on 30 March 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/ehrmeaningfuluse/introduction.html
Menachemi, N. & Collum, T. H. (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Risk Management Healthcare Policy, 4 , 47–55.
