Anyone who has visited multiple doctors knows what a hassle it
can be to get medical records and paperwork transferred from one
physician's office to another.
Often, the records don't even get transferred, and patients simply fill in their doctors on what they believe is the most pertinent information, or they just answer the doctor's questions and think that is enough.
However, there can be little bits of information in your health record that are crucial, and which doctors may not ask - for example, a history of depression in the family, or a one-time allergic reaction, the cause of which was never fully understood - which may someday be a crucial factor in determining the cause of an illness.
It is an inconvenient and lengthy process to get records sent from one office to another, and the thoroughness of the records transferred is dependent upon the judgment of the person who performs the transfer; however, a new system is beginning to revolutionize the procedures for maintaining and sharing patients' health records.
An electronic health record, or EHR, is a computerized record of a patient's health and care history. Whenever a patient visits any caretaker, including doctors, hospitals and emergency rooms, information about the patient, and that visit, is uploaded to their EHR.
The EHR documents a patient's vital signs, immunization records, medications, medical history, demographics, progress notes, radiology and laboratory reports, and any other information that is pertinent to present and/or future caretakers.
By doing so, it provides doctors and hospitals with a constant and comprehensive picture of the patient's medical history, one they might not be able to obtain in certain situations.
For example, if a patient has been involved in an automobile accident, and is brought to the emergency room unconscious, he will be unable to communicate his allergies, illnesses, and any pre-existing conditions to medical personnel; however, if he has his driver's license with him, caretakers will be able to find his EHR, and care for him more effectively because they have a completely comprehensive medical history available to them.
Not only does implementing the EHR system save patients time and aggravation, it also helps make patients safer, and encourages medical research and experimental treatments.
Information regarding the procedures for prescribing medications would be included with the health records, as well as data regarding the efficacy of certain treatments, not just for that patient, but worldwide; this would help doctors to ascertain which treatments are most likely to be effective, and also significantly decrease the number of physician errors and resultant adverse reactions to treatments and medications.
Often, the records don't even get transferred, and patients simply fill in their doctors on what they believe is the most pertinent information, or they just answer the doctor's questions and think that is enough.
However, there can be little bits of information in your health record that are crucial, and which doctors may not ask - for example, a history of depression in the family, or a one-time allergic reaction, the cause of which was never fully understood - which may someday be a crucial factor in determining the cause of an illness.
It is an inconvenient and lengthy process to get records sent from one office to another, and the thoroughness of the records transferred is dependent upon the judgment of the person who performs the transfer; however, a new system is beginning to revolutionize the procedures for maintaining and sharing patients' health records.
An electronic health record, or EHR, is a computerized record of a patient's health and care history. Whenever a patient visits any caretaker, including doctors, hospitals and emergency rooms, information about the patient, and that visit, is uploaded to their EHR.
The EHR documents a patient's vital signs, immunization records, medications, medical history, demographics, progress notes, radiology and laboratory reports, and any other information that is pertinent to present and/or future caretakers.
By doing so, it provides doctors and hospitals with a constant and comprehensive picture of the patient's medical history, one they might not be able to obtain in certain situations.
For example, if a patient has been involved in an automobile accident, and is brought to the emergency room unconscious, he will be unable to communicate his allergies, illnesses, and any pre-existing conditions to medical personnel; however, if he has his driver's license with him, caretakers will be able to find his EHR, and care for him more effectively because they have a completely comprehensive medical history available to them.
Not only does implementing the EHR system save patients time and aggravation, it also helps make patients safer, and encourages medical research and experimental treatments.
Information regarding the procedures for prescribing medications would be included with the health records, as well as data regarding the efficacy of certain treatments, not just for that patient, but worldwide; this would help doctors to ascertain which treatments are most likely to be effective, and also significantly decrease the number of physician errors and resultant adverse reactions to treatments and medications.
Dr. Jimenez, Dartmouth/Brown medical school graduate, with a
clinical background in General Surgery, and former Clinical Director of
Content and Online training for Allscripts (a leading EHR vendor with a
network of over 180,000 physicians, 1,500 hospitals, 10,000 post-acute
care organizations).
Dr. Jimenez also completed his PhD in Instructional design researching more effective ways to train physicians how to use an EHR.
To learn more about EHR and What is EHR? Visit our website for further information OptimizeHIT
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Dr. Jimenez also completed his PhD in Instructional design researching more effective ways to train physicians how to use an EHR.
To learn more about EHR and What is EHR? Visit our website for further information OptimizeHIT
