Pros and cons of Electronic health records

Pros and cons of Electronic health records

In modern days, experienced doctors are aging, life expectancy is increasing, and there is a shortage of nursing. Still, we have no worries since the new medical technology which has emerged is essential for us to continue taking care of patients and the health care systems at large. The medical technology helps the nursing professions with their routine processes, and they can also reduce the human mistakes that can be caused by the few nurses who work for long hours with too many patients to take care of. Professional nurses do agree to suggest that nurses should not over-rely too much on healthcare technology since the patients also need the cooperation of the nurses to make the healthcare successful.

There are forms of technologies that are used in direct patient care. One of them is Electronic health records. These electronic records are the ones that have taken over the old paper filing methods. It is used to document the treatment performed by the doctors and their outcomes. Electronic health records enable the nursing professionals to document the care which is provided to the patients, and it can also help the doctors to retrieve the information that can prioritize care. The information which is fed into the computer systems can be accessed by the care team, including doctors and even patients themselves where necessary. These records help to tell the registered nurses whether the patient is doing good, or still, some steps need to be taken.

Electronic health records have benefits and drawbacks in hospitals and other health care facilities. Some of its benefits include. It improves the quality of care. It is easier to read computerized notes compared to the physician’s handwriting. Through this, it minimizes the risk of errors and misinterpretations that can negatively impact the quality of patient care.

It saves space: Electronic health records help the physicians to eliminate the need to store the documents in bulky file cabinets since it frees up space in the office for medical supplies and equipment.

Easy to access: These records have a patient portal that enables them to view their medical history any time they need want.

It is convenient and efficient: Users don’t waste much time sorting many paper records, but through the electronic carerecords, they access it efficiently on the keyboard.

Despite its benefits, here are its drawbacks.

Privacy and security issues: these machines can be hacked, and sensitive patient’s data can fall into the wrong hands.

Inaccurate information: These electronic records require to be updated more often. If they are not updated on time, the health care providers may rely on the wrong information when determining treatment protocols.

Another form of technology used in direct patient care is telehealth, also known as telemedicine. This machine is essential, especially to the people who are located in a rural setting because they don’t have the same resources that people in urban areas may have. Telehealth makes it possible for doctors to treat their patients, despite where they are using computers and smartphones. Telehealth has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are the benefits of telehealth. Through the use of telehealth, the patients have increased access to care: Telemedicine has overcome the physical barriers to reach a patient and provide easy access to care. Regardless of how far a patient is, nowadays, telehealth can contact them 24/7 to improve patient care. It saves the patient’s time. Having telehealth, patients don’t waste their time and money to travel by car or bus going to the hospital. Neither do they spend time waiting in the doctor’s office. They get treated wherever they are.

Telehealth has its disadvantages which include the following:

One of them is that licensing laws limit the doctors were to provide the service to the patients. Through this, nurses can only provide care only to the states in which they are licensed to practice. Another disadvantage is that some of the patients experience barriers to care: technology has brought smartphones, which are fast and reliable, but not everyone who has these essential telenursing components. We can conclude that health information technology has improved patients’ care and safety. But healthcare organizations must be cautious while selecting which form of technology they will implement in their company.