Thornburg states “The constantly changing landscape of
educational technology can be thought of as a series of transitions from older
tools to newer ones (Thornburg, 2009). Within the hospital system there is
constant change happening on a day to day basis. One of the more recent
technologies that have emerged in recent years is the element virtual care and
the implementation of the electronic health record (EHR). The diffusion of
these this fairly new technology has changed the dynamic of healthcare and
further tests the boundaries of how a patient can be cared for by their
healthcare provider. In 2009, only 16% of
U.S. hospitals were using electronic health records but by 2013 that number
increased to around 80%. It’s really serves as an outlook to where the world is
headed as we become more heavily dependent on technology.
Some of the key issues that have been found among both physicians
and patients are the overall usability of the software where the data is
inputted. The physicians tend to need extensive training to utilize the electronic
version of the health record. Generating
duplicate notes within the systems were also issues that physicians faced
initially when the new system became available. Hospital cost increased also
with the implementation of electronic health records.
There are many benefits to using the electronic medical
record as opposed to the paper version. “Clinical
outcomes include improvements in the quality of care, a reduction in medical
cost, and other improvement in patient level measures that describe the
appropriateness of care.” Over time this form of medical record tracking will
become more popular with hospital staff.
By offering continuous education to physicians, there would be
must less hesitation among staff to input patient’s records with no error.
Resources:
Thornburg, D. D.
(2009a). Current trends in educational technology. Lake
Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. (2011, May 11). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
Blogs i've posted to: http://robinsjourneyintoeductionaltechnology.blogspot.com/
http://randompinkrain.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/are-badges-needed/
Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. (2011, May 11). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
Blogs i've posted to: http://robinsjourneyintoeductionaltechnology.blogspot.com/
http://randompinkrain.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/are-badges-needed/
What amazes me is that so much of our personal information is electronic and every day we hear of another security breach of a credit card company. What do hospitals do to safegaurd the medical records that are electronic? Do patients have a choice in this or is it an all or nothing?
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you as well! I am very weary sometimes about having so much dependence on technology to get things done. I work across 3 hospitals and they all operate differently. Although i'm not sure of the official process of safeguarding the electronic medical records, it seems to be pretty secure, yet I would imagine if a hacker wanted to get in it probably wouldn't be too hard. In some areas of the hospitals I work they use electronic and some are still stored in personal files.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It also amazes me how much of our personal information is electronic and how easy it is to get if someone knows what they are doing. I remember one time one of our neighbors thought that everything is safe online. He came over and I showed him just how much I could find in a few minutes with just his name and birthdate.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I can see the usefulness of streamlining medical records. The online medical records can be useful in providing the best care for patients by giving healthcare providers current medical records. This type of streamlining records can be useful in many fields. The education system for instance, when students move from school to school their would be no need to wait for records as they can be available the moment needed.
ReplyDelete