EHR Standards for Efficient Healthcare and Medical Research

People have benefited tremendously from electronic records in all spheres of life and work. They are now part and parcel of everyone’s life, at home or in the office. This is particularly significant in the sphere of medicine where physicians should have access to computerized medical records in each hospital or doctor’s office, at any time when data on patients are needed in order to aid diagnosing or review past conditions. The convenience of electronic storage of detailed medical data on patients provides an EMR solution which is indispensable for medical staff in both small and large medical establishments, and the opportunities for retrieval and modification of electronic medical records enable these data to be kept up to date as new examinations or medical tests are carried out. The edge of EHR standards over paper based records is obvious not only in terms of accessibility, but they also enable significant savings as medical specialists can dispense with the needs to copy, fax, etc. patients’ medical data when using paper based medical records. Last but not least, there is no hazard of illegibility which can lead to misinterpretations and hence to medical errors.

EHR standards have enabled the unification of forms for filling medical data, as well as terminology and abbreviations used. The digital form of patients’ records has facilitated the gathering of data on epidemiology and on clinical studies. The benefit of an EMR solution is the possibility for regular updating of patients’ data in their electronic records, and thus providing easy interoperability between different healthcare facilities, with the ultimate advantage of more efficient delivery of health care based on the assessment of medical data on each patient contained in his electronic record. The significance of an EMR solution is especially obvious in ambulance services where paramedics should act promptly in emergencies to administer timely care. In some countries, EMR systems have already been introduced to enable paramedics to deliver better pre hospital care to patients in emergencies, so that future treatment options can be facilitated.

But the benefits of EHR standards do not comprise solely the area of primary medical care. With electronic networks which connect medical practitioners and researchers, clinical research is greatly facilitated, and researchers can easily use standardized electronic medical records for their research purposes. By aiding the efficient carrying out on research, electronic medical records serve as a strong prerequisite for enhancing the level of modern medical services.

The software solutions developed for the implementation of electronic medical records organize medical establishments workflow and improve its level. With specially designed database application programs, all phases of patients encounters can be duplicated with ease, thus providing enhanced productivity and reliability. The transition from paper based medical records to electronic ones can be accompanied with training of medical staff in use of electronic data on patients, and medical establishments’ current billing services can integrated the electronic records created. The universal efficiency of electronic medical records has brought about an innovative stage in the handling of medical data.