EMR is the abbreviation for Electronic Medical Records. As the world evolves ever more into the technological age, healthcare is also becoming more digitally advanced.
The use of EMRs is revolutionizing medical care, giving professionals the ability to quickly access a patient’s medical records and share information about a patient amongst departments – leading to more efficient and effective care for the person.
How EMR Benefits Patients and Healthcare Professionals
EMR has a number of advantages for both patients and professionals in the medical field, with some of the most significant being outlined below:
Faster Care
The digital form of medical records means that doctors and other healthcare professionals can access quick, streamlined information about patients.
This is especially important due to the high number of medical workers dealing with each patient, from doctors and nurses to locum pharmacists like those working through Workflare.
More Effective Care
Thanks to the ease of sharing information, healthcare workers can make better decisions regarding their patients’ diagnoses and treatments, with far more details available from others – meaning a more tailored approach to the individual.
Less Manual Admin
Essentially, EMR technology cuts costs, freeing up precious funding to be spent elsewhere in the system; digital storage means physical storage costs will decrease. Additionally, it also means less money will be spent on the necessity of clerks to manage physical records.
Reduced Risk of Human Error
The digital nature of EMR means the chance for human error is significantly reduced – a vital factor considering the sheer number of people involved in each patient’s care.
The Latest Developments in EMR
Just like the benefits of EMRs, their technology just keeps on getting better and better as time goes by. With each year that passes, new developments in the technological aspect and the use of EMR in medical settings revolutionize records and, thus, patient care.
Some of the latest improvements include:
Annual Wellness Visits (AWV)
AWVs are a more advanced extension of EMRs and give patients more access to available services. This is because healthcare professionals can use a patient’s electronic records in any circumstance, leading to more cohesive healthcare.
Linking EMR to Mobile Technology
This technology opens the channels of communication between patients and healthcare workers, for example, allowing patients to communicate in a timely manner with doctors.
From addressing new symptoms to sending photos of a visual problem, patients can take advantage of this new, convenient type of doctor-patient communication that helps them get diagnosed and treated faster than ever before – and without necessarily going to see their doctor in person.
Using the Cloud
Storing data on a cloud platform will mean that EMR information can be retrieved remotely. This greatly benefits both patients and professionals, allowing for information to be easily accessible and thus creating a faster, more efficient service all around.
It will also mean that a greater amount of data can be safely and confidentially stored at any given time.
Wearable Technology
An exciting development that EMR providers are looking at is the possibility of using wearable technology, such as fitness trackers, to provide information for EMRs.
This tech would mean that healthcare professionals would be fed accurate and prompt information about their patients, which could increase response times in emergencies, in turn leading to more lives being saved.
Conclusion
The advancements in EMR technology are not just exciting but potentially lifesaving. The reduction of time and human error coupled with the ability of healthcare professionals to share information means that patients are receiving treatments that have been more accurately tailored to their individual needs, projecting a far more positive outcome.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
