What is an e-health record?
An electronic health record (EHR) is the digital systematized collection of an individual's health documents. It is a real-time, patient-centered record that makes information available instantly and securely to authorized users.
What is an e-medical record?
An electronic medical record (EMR) is the digital version of the paper charts in clinician offices, clinics, and hospitals. EMR contains notes and information collected by and for the clinicians in that office, clinic, or hospital and are mostly used by healthcare providers for diagnosis and treatment.
EHR or EMR?
Although some clinicians use the terms EHR and EMR interchangeably, the benefits they offer vary greatly. EHRs are designed to be interoperable, while EMRs are not. Interoperability means that different systems can share and use data with each other. This is important because it allows different healthcare providers to have access to a patient’s complete medical history, even if they see multiple providers. EHR allows a patient’s medical information to move flexibly on patient’s mobile device (practice on the go) to specialists, labs, imaging centers, emergency rooms and pharmacies both locally and nationally.
Internet of Things in Biomedical Engineering, 2019
Fig. 13.3. Electronic healthcare record process diagram
How does EHR benefit patients?
Up until now, health information has been stored in a number of different healthcare provider’s administrative softwares. This made it difficult and time consuming for healthcare professionals to gain access to important patient information. In fact, a survey of emergency admissions showed that the medication list was missing for 39 percent of patients (Frydenberg K Brekke M, Kommunikasjon om medikamentbruk i henvisninger, innleggelsesskriv og epikriser, Tidsskr Nor Legeforen nr. 9–10, 2011; 131: 942–5).
To overcome these challenges, it was critical that a new system to share consistent information between all healthcare providers and give patients access to their own records. The system allows them to update their own information through a web-portal, empowering patients to take an active role in their own care. Patients now have visibility into the health information recorded, they have total control on how their health data is being shared, and who their health data is shared with.
List of basic EHR elements and functions:
- Efficient collaborative network of clinicians: secured electronic communication and sharing
- Patient health information and data
- Diagnoses and treatments
- Immunizations and the dates
- Allergies
- Radiology and X-ray images
- Lab results
- E-prescribed medication
- Patient support: clinical guidelines, drug alerts, knowledge resources, preventative advices
- Administrative works: billing, scheduling, patient outreach, task assignment and routing
