Electronic Medical Records

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WHAT IS AN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD (EMR) ? An Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is a way of storing patient information on a computer. EMR have a similar structure to the paper-charts, and these contain all the information that is relevent for the treatment and nursing of a patient. The EMR includes both clinical information: such as diagnosis, allergies and medicines; and a demographic information, such as: personal information, for non-clinical use- an example of such information is the patients’ health number that is given to him/her when he/she visits the hospital for the first time. The records contain information that is used for different purposes: 1) Administrative tasks:  Registering patients  Scheduling appointments 2) Clinical practices (diagnostic & therapeutic decisions):  Computerized prescriptions  Lab tests  Diagnostic measures  Progress notes from different healthcare providers 3) Research practices QUALITY BENEFITS OF AN EMR Assessing data from paper medical records is time-consuming because it involves reviewing information manually — record by record. By contrast, an EMR makes data easily accessible and enables physicians to use their own data to improve quality of care. With efficient electronic access to clinical data, practices can systematically improve the quality of care in a number of areas: • Enhanced patient education materials Practices can customize information packets and Web site referrals for patients so that patients receive essential information about their health at the point of care and guidance from reputable, scientific sources. • Quicker turnaround times for results of lab tests and imaging studies Connectivity between practices and the clinical laboratories and imaging centers shorten the time necessary for diagnostic information to reach the practice and the patient. Physicians can initiate therapy

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