Electronic Medical Records vs Paper Records

Electronic Medical Records VS Paper Records

Abstract

There are many pro's and con's to have electronic medical records or having paper medical records. Some of the differences depend on what kind of practice or office a person has. Electronic medical records are used more in larger practices then being used in a small office.

Since the technology era has begun, there has been a need to store more critical data and information in an organized and space-saving manner. Since the end of the nineteenth century, this has partially spawned the development of computers as we know them today. In many healthcare facilities the task of converting paper medical records to electronic format. Healthcare documentation has long resisted this transformation, however, as we enter the twenty first century it has become evident that this is a vital process that must be done to have the most efficient technology possible.

The electronic medical record can be seen as information entered at each visit to a medical facility that comprises the patient's electronic health record. Hebda(2009) borrows a definition from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, who states the electronic medical record as "the legal record created in hospitals and ambulatory environments that is the source of data for the EHR" (p. 293) Within the hospital, the EMR has several elements:

1. Clinical messaging and e-mail.

2. Results reporting.

3. Data repository.

4. Decision support.

5. Clinical documentation.

6. Order entry. (Hebda, 2009, p. 294)

The results reporting and data repository components of the EMR often contain physical assessment data and discharge reports, which are entered in a more informal textural manner than that of other data such as automated lab results (Hebda, 2009, p. 294)

There are several pro's and con's to having EMR's. Enthusiasm about the usage of the EMR has arisen surrounding many issues. Foremost, proponents of the EMR hold...