Electronic Health Record or EHR is slowly becoming an industry standard when it comes to maintaining health records. There are many advocates of this digitalization and there are many who are sceptical about accepting what it has to offer. At the same time, there are many professionals who are not so keen on using EHR and have their own reasons for not doing so.
This article will present evidence for both the sides of how EHR is good and how it still has loopholes.
The Positive Side
First, let’s look at the positive aspects.
- The most important benefit of EHR is updated health records which can be accessed from anywhere.
- EHR eliminates the paperwork that patients are required to fill at each visit to a doctor. It also enhancing the processing time that the medical personnel require to screen a patient.
- With records of your medical tests, scans, etc., EHR provides critical information in case of emergency when running these tests means delay in administering proper treatment.
- EHR enhances patient care by providing the present care giver the information about the diagnosis made by an old practitioner.
The positive aspects of EHR are not limited to medical practitioners alone, these as discussed above benefits patients as a whole and offers something for everyone involved in patient care, be it a doctor, patient, nurse, insurance parties, etc.
The Negative Side
Next, let’s look at the negative aspects.
- The most criticized aspect of EHR is vulnerability. A patient’s personal information can be accessed and manipulated by someone with malign intentions and this change in the information can be life threatening.
- Another negative aspect is that organizations would need to either train their employees to operate an EHR Software or would have to hire trained specialists which would cost a little more.
- EHR is also criticized for errors. If the handler inputs the information incorrectly then that can be potentially dangerous.
- The personal data stored using EHR Software can also be used to steal identities and commit crimes.
The EHR companies offer a lot of customized solutions and a robust security system to curb the privacy issues. But, the fact remains that data availability at large remains a target for hackers and just as security measures are evolving, so are the techniques to hack.
The negatives of the EHR can be easily turned to positives and the EHR Software companies have their own arguments to all the listed negatives. As far as staff revamping is considered, there are many companies offering EHR integration services. These service providers offer cost effective and quality services which are reliable.
If you are looking are still thinking if EHR is the solution, then from the current trend and craze it seems to be the future of medical record maintenance. It has more to offer than what it is criticized for. A careful analysis of the pros and cons suggests that the future of EHR is gleaming in the light of the positives.
