HCA 101 Assignment: A Comparative Study Review of EHR's Impact

This report provides a comparative study review of Electronic Health Records (EHR), examining both the positive benefits and negative impacts as identified in two articles from the Canadore-Nipissing Library website. The positive aspects include improved patient access to healthcare data, enhanced quality of care, reduced anxiety, and increased patient engagement. Conversely, the negative impacts encompass risks to information integrity, potential for medication errors, and software reliability issues. The report concludes that while EHRs are valuable for reducing manual errors, healthcare professionals should remain cautious due to potential software glitches and system failures that could adversely affect patient treatment, suggesting that the negatives may outweigh the positives in certain implementations.

Total Marks = 30
marks
HCA 101 – Comparative Study Review
Find two articles on the Canadore-Nipissing Library website in eResources under
the topic of Electronic Health Record.
1. Describing the positive benefits of the Electronic Health Record
2. Describing the negative impacts of the Electronic Health Record
1. Positive Benefits Article (12 marks)
Title of the Article: Impact of patient access to their electronic health record: systematic review
Author(s): Archana tapuria, Talya Porat,Dipak Kalra,Glen Dsouza,Sun Xiaohui & Vasa Curcin
Source Name of Magazine or Journal:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538157.2021.1879810
Volume/Issue Number: volume 46, issue 2
Date: 10 April 2021
Pages: 194-206
List 3 main argument points:
 Electronic health records are an integral part of the healthcare system as they
allow decreasing provisional costs in healthcare systems. Patients have an
improved access to healthcare related data and enhanced quality of care
ensure positive patient centered outcomes.
 The benefits of Electronic health record range from reduced symptoms of
anxiety and fostering positive patient-doctor relationships and improved
adherence to medications.
 The implementations of patient health records, reported high levels of
activation and engagement in patients leading to a significant improvement in
recovery scores and organizational efficiencies. These electronic health records
promote transparency and a sense of responsibility among patients leading to
development of a sustainable healthcare system.
b Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland

2. Negative Impact Article (12 marks)
Title of the Article: Impact of Electronic Health Record Systems on Information Integrity:
Quality and Safety Implications
Author(s): Sue Bowman, MJ, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA
Source Name of Magazine or Journal:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3797550/
Volume/Issue Number: Volume 10
Date: 2013 Oct 1
Pages: PMC3797550
List 3 main argument points:
 There are a variety of unintended consequences that arise from poor
implementation of electronic health records, such as, EHR related errors which
lead to jeopardizing the integrity of information stored in electronic health
record. This puts the safety of patient at a risk leading to decreased quality of
care. There is a high chance of fraud and abuse to the patient, ultimately
leading to negative legal implications.
 The reduction in manual errors give rise to new types of medication errors due
to default in electronic machinery of health records. There might be a
possibility of drug overdose or delays in treatment due to transcription errors.
 The reliability of software is less as there might be presence of programming
errors or bugs due to incomplete or erroneous design specifications.

What is your opinion based on the research you have completed? Is the EHR more
positive than negative?? Why did you choose your answer? Explain in a few
words. (6 marks)
From the above conducted research, it can be concluded that, in my opinion,
the adaption and implementation of electronic health records in healthcare
institutions is important to eliminate manual errors. However, healthcare
professionals should not rely only on these electronic records for patient care.
There are numerous advantages of these devices, however, the negative aspects
cannot be ignored as it may jeopardized and violate the integrity of the patient.
The failure of these complex software or a potential glitch may harm patients in
the long run and delay their treatment, adversely affected a large number of
patients. Some problems associated with software interface of electronic health
records include data loss and delays, occurrence of errors and downtime of
system. According to assessment, there are more negatives than positives in the
implementation of electronic health records in healthcare institutions. The
complexity of computers and confusing interfaces might lead to errors due to
oversight role, ultimately harming the patient during their treatment.