Analyzing the Benefits of EHR Systems for Patient Care in Hospitals

This report discusses the benefits of implementing Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in hospitals to improve patient care. It highlights the inefficiencies of traditional methods, such as paper-based records and manual processes, and contrasts them with the advantages of EHRs, including enhanced information flow, reduced errors, and improved coordination among healthcare professionals. The report details how EHRs can streamline workflows, reduce wait times, and provide personalized care through comprehensive patient data access. While acknowledging potential drawbacks like security vulnerabilities and the need for frequent updates, the report emphasizes the overall positive impact of EHRs on patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, and cost savings within healthcare facilities. Desklib offers more solved assignments and past papers for students.

Running head: EHRS
Student Name
Student No.
Unit
Title: Benefits of an EHR system in a Hospital

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Main issue in the study
Lack of effective infrastructure in most hospitals is a cause of much frustrations in
hospitals (Thimbleby, 2013). This hospital lacked an improved technology so as to ease the
work of their nurses. Starting with the pregnancy test, they used urine test, which is a clearly
indicator that they are trailing behind as far as technology is concerned. There are other more
accurate techniques of carrying out pregnancy tests. Although urine pregnancy test could be
accurate in detecting the hCG, there is a high possibility of inaccurate results as compared to
blood test. Human Chronionic Gonadotropic (hCG) is a hormone secreted by the placenta.
Blood test is said to be 99 percent accurate and can detect even small amount of hCG in the
blood (Ward et al. 2017).
Secondly, the hospital still used folders in keeping records. With the current
technological advancement, using folders and files seems very archaic. There are better ways
in which information could be safely kept in hospitals. On her first day to see the
gynecologist, she was given an appointment which coincided with her working hours. This
inconvenienced her. After carrying out the urine pregnant test and finding out that Marie was
pregnant, the physician wrote a referral letter which Marie had to take with her to the
gynecologist. With technology, there are better and easier ways to do this. When she met the
midwife she was given questions to fill right there. She should filled this at home so as to
consult her husband or other family members. She was then send to another hospital, with a
referral letter. In this other hospital she was to register again and wait for a phlebotomist, who
at the end did not carry out the cystic fibrosis genetic test. She had to reschedule for another
week. Through a phone call, the previous nurse would have saved Marie from walking that
long and waiting for the phlebotomist. They also use forms to obtain client’s information and
for referrals. This is old fashioned in the current world as there are more sophisticated
electronic ways of obtaining and keeping record.

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How to improve patients’ care in this hospital
Clinical record keeping is a core part for professional practice and delivery of quality
health care services. Good clinical record keeping should be such that it enhances continuity
of health care service delivery. It should also make easy the communication between the
health care professional. The electronic health records are digital version of the patient paper
records and makes information about a particular patient instantly available and secure only
to the authorized users (Vlad and Cuipa, 2014). The EHR does not only contain the patient’s
medical and treatment histories and clinical data but also any information about the patient’s
care. The EHR gives access to tools that can help the nurses in decision making about the
patient’s care. It also contains the diagnosis, treatment plans, medical history, allergies, lab
results and immunization dates.
Implementation of the EHRs in this hospital would enable the flow of information.
There are different advantages associated with this technology- it improves patient care,
patient participation is increased, diagnosis, patient outcomes and care coordination are
improved and brings efficiency and cost saving in the health care facility (DeVore, 2015).
The EHRs provides access to a patient’s health information making it possible for
comprehensive view and the nurse can carry out diagnostic tests faster and easily. These
machines help reduce errors and the patient’s safety is improved.
Advantages of this redesign
The Electronic Medical Record could be used to transmit patient’s information to
another department when needed. When implemented Marie and other patients would not
have to move up and down carrying paper records so as to obtain a service from a different
department. According to the University of Scranton (2018), hospitals using the EHRs can

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now easily keep track of the patient’s care. Services such as office and hospital visits, surgery
and testing can be coordinated in a single visit rather than different and time consuming
visits. Nurses in different departments collaborate on the patient’s results and outcomes, and
team up for quality health care delivery. This technology streamlines workflow hence
productivity and efficiency is achieved. It cuts out the number of forms the patient and nurses
have to fill. It also cuts off wait time during appointments. It has an automatic reminder
which alerts the patient, like when the time for checkup approaches. The amount of data the
EHRs contains about a patient helps the nurses carry out a personalized care and address the
patient’s issues in a preventive way. This hospital still needs better testing equipment. They
should be in a position to carry out blood pregnancy test not just the mere urine test and
therefore I would recommend the relevant tools and equipment.
Disadvantages of the redesign
The EHRs are faced by a couple of demerits. According to Menachemi and Collum
(2011), just like any other digital equipment like computers, the EHRs are vulnerable to
hacking. This mean that private and confidential information about a patient could find its
way into wrong hands (Kelley, 2016). The electronic health record system needs frequent
updates so that its services are used to the maximum. If the system gives unfrequent updates,
then the hospital is disadvantaged over those having systems receiving timely updates (Ayres,
2018). These systems need frequent updates after a patient’s visit or whenever some
information changes. Failure to this other clinicians would use wrong data and eventually
prescribe wrong treatment. This system allows patients to have access to their medical data.
Misinterpretation of this information could lead to the patient panicking.

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References
Ayres, C. (2018). Advantages and disadvantages of EHRs. Retrieved from:
https://vittana.org/12-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-electronic-health-records
DeVore, A. M. (2015). The Electronic Health Record for the Physician’s Office with
SimChart. Missouri: Elsevier.
Kelley, T. (2016). Electronic Health Records for Quality Nursing and Health Care.
Pennsylvania: DEStech Publishers.
Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record
systems. Risk management and healthcare policy, 4, 47-55. Doi:
10.2147/RMHP.S12985
The University of Scranton. (2018). Benefits of electronic health records for hospitals.
Retrieved from: https://elearning.scranton.edu/resource/health-human-services/7-
benefits-electronic-health-records
Thimbleby H. (2013). Technology and the future of healthcare. Journal of public health
research, 2(3), e28. doi:10.4081/jphr.2013.e28
Vlad, S. and Ciupa, R. V. (2014). International conference on advancements of medicine and
health care through technology. New York: Springer Publishers.
Ward, P. R., Rokkas, P., Cenko, C., Pulvirenti, M., Dean, N., Carney, A. S. and Meyer, S.
(2017). ‘Waiting for’ and ‘waiting in’ public and private hospitals: A qualitative study
of patient trust in South Australia. BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 2017, No. 17,
pp. 333. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2281-5