HDW204 - EHR Systems: Benefits, Challenges in Digital Healthcare

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and their impact on the healthcare industry. It begins by introducing the concept of EHR systems, highlighting their role in digitizing patient health records and facilitating data sharing across healthcare settings. The report explores the benefits of EHR, such as improved self-management for patients through enhanced communication, access to health data, and educational resources. It also discusses the advantages of EHR in backward areas, emphasizing how electronic records can improve healthcare access for underserved populations. Furthermore, the report addresses the challenges associated with EHR implementation, including high costs, documentation time, resistance to change, and security concerns. The analysis concludes that while EHR systems offer significant potential for transforming healthcare, careful planning, investment in IT infrastructure, and attention to security and privacy are crucial for realizing their full benefits. This document is available on Desklib, where students can find a wealth of resources, including past papers and solved assignments.

Running head: HEALTHCARE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD IN NURSING
HEALTHCARE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD IN NURSING
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction
Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is health record’s electronic version of patients
which was created, stored and used within paper chart. EHR is digital collection of health
information of the patients in electronic format. This is implemented in several developing
countries. The records of the patients could be shared by the network over several settings of
health care. EHR consists of demographic as well as personal statistics such as weight, age, and
billing details along with crucial signs, current and previous medical history, allergies and
medication history, test results of laboratory, radiology images and family history (Shickel, et al.,
2017). EHR system is designed for reducing paper records of students for storing data accurately
as well as legible in digital format.
Medical records are around since healthcare’s advent. In early days, there was use of
medical records for recording diseases as well as that diseases’ probable cause. EHR’ use was
slow to catch on with the healthcare providers as well as the physicians. Reason for EHR’s slow
adoption was the systems’ immense cost (Singleton, et al., 2019). This report will demonstrate
the use of EHR in healthcare sector and how EHR benefits the healthcare organizations. This
paper will also highlight the issues which are faced by the healthcare organizations by
implementing systems of EHR.
Thesis Statement
EHR system plays an essential role in representing medical record of individual.

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Question 1
Self-management is system which is used for empowering individual or patient’s abilities
as well as thinking. Self-management could be improved by use of EHR for treatment of patient.
It is EHR system’s ultimate goal is helping the clinicians making informed decisions, relevant
information must be presented by the system. It is EHR system’s ultimate goal is helping the
clinicians making informed decisions, relevant information must be presented by the system.
Self-management’s primary purpose is motivating person by giving few positive aspects for life
(Barry, et al., 2020). Self-management gives many features for motivating patient on how health
state could be improved through adopting several methods. EHR would management’s platform
by which they could connect with patient. There are three processes by which connection could
be made with patient for improving self-management such as communication, creating patient’s
health data and education. Communication tools must be integrated to EHR system as for
messages are attached electronically to record of a patient.
There are several administrative and clinical needs which office of physician or hospital
needs EHR system to perform. Generate patient’s latest data which could be done through using
electronic head. In the real time, the patients could access easily health record. The system will
improve also system of self-management. Educate patient with the help of EHR technology
could be quite helpful for self-management’s improvement. Purpose of the method is educating
patient through providing few helpful videos that could enhance health state as well as give few
advice to them (Henry, et al., 2016). By use of HER’s portal, system of self-management could
be enhanced through communicating with patient. Knowledge resources’ most queries are
conducted with respect to specific patient. Most significant time for providing access to the
knowledge resource is during time orders or decisions are contemplated by clinician. Medicare

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companies need patient encounter’s accurate documentation. EHR system should be able in
documenting total face-to-face encounter among patient and doctor. The documentation process
should be fast as well as easy as time of doctor is valuable.
Question 2
Electronic records’ use might be helpful to the people who are living within the backward
areas. Proper team would visit respective area, where they would collect data from different
people as well as would save on EHR system. There are regions in world don’t have enough
life’s sources as well as good health system. The people in the regions face several issues as they
do suffer from lack of food, medicines for the treatment, no medical record of individual, every
such deficiency creates problems for the people.
This appears in bulk amount in the developing countries. A solution is derived by
resolving this issue by making health card for unregistered patients. It would provide the
patient’s aggregate data and would come in contact to health department. Once they get to
register, they would have access to all medical facilities that is providing by health department
(Palmer, et al., 2019). In such manner, the electronic record might help people who are living
within backward areas in where they have no needed facilities of health. Team members’
geographic separation creates demand of networked communication which reaches every site
where the providers take decisions on the patient care.
Question 3
Few specialized doctors were quite dominant and all patients tried in approaching
professional doctor. Now time changed, through using respective innovation, the system gives
chance to all professionals, doctor in making in ground as well as show abilities to patients. This

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system transformed power level and several doctors are providing full time for giving excellent
advice of health to any kind of patient.
HER’s use has reduced distance, patient or client could contact with doctor about health
state. In past, patient need to make appointment with doctor, and patient could be able in
contacting doctor. Health records’ electronic system brought innovation within health state
(Carey, et al., 2016). EHR system would be information’s central database which would drive
billing, patient documentation, clinical decision support and quality. People could contact
professional during all times as well as they would respond for health state.
Question 4
Electronic system of health records has raised several questions, information security of
patient is one of them. There was use of paper system for the medical history as well as this was
most challenging system for recording data of patient. Sometimes, several months were needed
for making health data manual. For the latter method, an organization was able in getting
individual data as well as there were several chances to lose information.
In modern era, the problem is resolved as well as electronic system take responsibility.
Least time is needed to generate health record and patient could get when patient discharges
(Adler-Milstein, et al., 2017). This is estimated electronic system could be more reliable when
compared with paper based system as this provides security as well as safety for patient detail.
No one could have easy access till department of health allows approach.
There is addition of different information within health record, like medical history,
contact information and family background. All information consider private for the patients. If
organization wants to attain evidence, first, they havthe to take permission from individual and

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then health department would be able in providing biodata to any organization. All these security
level shows that health record within electronic is more protective and more secure when
compared to paper system. The patient has right in getting health record’s copy, which could be
used in several purposes.
If EHR systems are used properly, health of IT would help in improving health
professionals’ performance, enhance safety of patient and reduce costs of operation or
administration. Other benefits of EHR system are improved efficiencies and improvement of
accuracy of the health records. EHR systems would improve also productivity of healthcare. It is
achieved by the efficiencies that are gained by provider of healthcare who would lower the
staffing levels as well as costs of healthcare (Clegg, et al., 2016). EHR systems allow processes
of clinical work re-engineered for making work process much more efficient.
EHR system could eliminate large quantity of paper which are generated to create as well
as share paper documents. EHR systems’ other use would enable the patients in having better
access of information, this would help in getting patients much more involved to take charge of
own healthcare.
Question 5
With all benefits which EHR system has for healthcare, several challenges are there
which should be addressed as well as overcome. EHR system’s first challenge is EHR systems’
immense cost. If small hospitals are aligned with larger hospital, costs could be staggering as
well as capital budget of whole year. Depending upon chosen EHR system, EHR system could
lead in increased documentation time of clinician. Few nurses and physicians are resistant to be

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changed as well as would want in reverting back to systems of old paper. Failure in changing
clinical processes during implementing EHR system could ruin efficiency gained by investment.
Security of EHR system is huge issue which should be addressed. EHR system become
huge target to attackers as the medical records are full of personal information. Theft of medical
identity is turning to be bigger issue as well as EHR’s introduction would perpetuate the issue
(Howe, et al., 2018). Precautions should be taken for meeting the security and privacy laws.
Other challenges which are faced by EHR systems consist of slow systems, due to poor speed of
networking or to software as well as system crashes which would stop every clinician to perform
work. Redundancy systems and backup should be developed.
Question 6
Electronic system brought several changes as well as latest methods within health
department. Paper tension is replaced by the system as this is quite difficult in handling paper
record. Sometimes records could be lost by management or patient and then again this would
take much time to generate loss data. The innovative method reduced every problem as well as
there are lesser chances to lose data unless anyone used illegal way for approaching site. EHR
system eliminates large quantity of paper which are generated to create as well as share paper
documents. EHR systems’ other use would enable the patients in having better access of
information, this would help in getting patients much more involved to take charge of own
healthcare (Kruse, et al., 2016).
EHR systems help to improve quality of healthcare by reducing errors. EHR systems by
better systems of clinical decision support and medical documentation, could lower the medical
errors as well as reduce cost of overall healthcare. Electronic systems provide reliable as well as

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useful information about patient. This provides total guidelines as well as education to any kind
of disease by which patient could demonstrate condition and doctor would guide with the
remarkable advice. The different surgeons, physicians and doctors are available any time as well
as they help the patients through giving instructions. Within the real-time, the patients could
explain condition and doctor would provide proper prescription which looks easier as well as
quicker than moving to health department.
Conclusion
Technologies of EHR stand in transforming healthcare for better. If technologies of EHR
are embraced as well as proper hardware, IT infrastructure and software are placed, industry of
healthcare would benefit greatly. This would increase quality of patient as well as health
outcomes of patient. This could increase bottom line of healthcare facility as well as bend cost
curve of healthcare’s rising cost. Healthcare organizations’ survival depends upon who generates
best IT as well as EHR systems. Healthcare’s future as well as ability of people in affording
healthcare are based on industry of healthcare for making technologies of EHR successful
venture. This paper analyses the functional components of EHR system in depth. The paper also
demonstrates the clinical as well as administrative needs of EHR system. This paper discusses
also the benefits as well challenges of EHR systems in healthcare industry and this EHR system
would be one of most essential technology within healthcare industry.

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Appendix
Figure 1: Overview of EHR System

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Figure 2: Future EHR Systems supporting the Clinical Research