It’s not just technology that makes a difference; it’s the way we use it that matters the most. EMRs have made rapid strides in the field of medicine, but we’re not yet gaining all the benefits we can from this electronic form of maintaining patient records. For one, most healthcare practitioners are hesitant to embrace this technology as part of their practices, the reason being that they’re not too comfortable with it. And even if they are, there’s always the question of how much importance the patient places on this tool.
For patients to perceive the value of EMRs, they need to see physicians being at home with them. And to achieve this end, doctors and other healthcare practitioners must spend time getting up to speed with the system; they must know how to use at least the basic and most common features. Maybe it’s a throwback to the days of yore, but the fact remains that patients tend to improve their opinion of doctors’ practices and their skills by looking at the technology they use.
Newer tools are on the horizon, tools that will allow direct communication between diagnostic tools and EMRs. So instead of having to key in the results from a scan or an EKG, the system does it for you. For example, HeartCentrix, a software program from the Cardiac Science Corporation, allows EMRs to hook up directly to their diagnostic stress and electrocardiography devices. In fact, the physician can launch the program from within the EMR and request a test, after which they can edit and review the results. This allows physicians the luxury of connecting to their systems and ordering tests and reviewing results from any location.
Another tool that could significantly improve medical practices is e-prescription, like the one launched by SureScripts. If you sign up for the program, your EMR connects directly to retail pharmacies that are part of this program and allows you to send and receive prescriptions and refill requests electronically.
There’s no doubt that innovative technology like electronic medical record systems and Health 2.0 services are improving healthcare and the way it is being provided. It stands to reason therefore that we can expect newer additions to this range of tools that allow us to harness EMRs and utilize their potential to the fullest.