Free Essay On Use Of Electronic Health Information

Electronic Health Information or Electronic Health Record is an online record or source of information about a patient’s paper chart. It is accessible anytime and anywhere. It is designed to go beyond the conventional form of recording a patient’s health status (“What is an,” March 2013). There are many benefits of EHI/HER. The following are some of its benefits

Public Health

Computer reminder is an effective way for a patient to comply on his/her vaccination schedule. There have been studies were there is an increase in patient’s compliance. Based on research, an increase of 0% to 35% in use of influenza vaccine was observed and 0% to 50% for pneumococcal vaccinations. Adhering to the guidelines on vaccination schedule lowers risk of disease outbreaks in communities and other areas (Menachemi et al., May 2011).

Biomedical Research

In terms of biomedical research, a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center study a method that addresses drug benefits information gathering from drug testing. These drug testing was commonly done by pharmaceutical companies. Specifically, the study aims to determine if a diabetes drug metformin, that can easily be tolerated, can be used to treat some types of cancer (Govern, Nov. 2014). Other researches could be done with the use of EHI/HER.

Quality Improvement

As included in Affordable Care Act that was signed by President Obama of United States of America, one of its key features is an electronic exchange of health information to standardized billing. It aims to have a more secure and confidential health information exchange. It reduces paperwork and administrative burdens, cut costs, and reduce medical record errors (“Key Features of the,” n.d.).

Personal Health Information

Some information available from a patient’s records is the following: demographics, progress notes, medications, vital signs, immunization, past medical history, laboratory data, and radiology reports. The patient can actually track his/her status real-time. It is important for someone to be conscious about his/her conditions and progress (Menachemi, May 2011).

References

Govern, Paul (2014). Team uses e-health records to search for hidden drug benefits. Medical Research. Retrieved from http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-11-team-e-health-hidden-drug-benefits.html
Menachemi, Nir et. al (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of health record systems. Risk management and healthcare policy. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3270933/
Key features of Affordable Care Act By Year. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/timeline-text.html
What is an Electronic Health Record (EHR)? Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-electronic-health-record-ehr