Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are being seamlessly integrated into different types of medical facilities worldwide. It allows for health records to be maintained on a network and called upon as needed for a full patient history. It has faster and more efficient accessibility, improved coordination and better quality of care, improved patient satisfaction and quality of life, and decreased long-term cost of care over paper records. Also known as Electronic Health Record (EHR), it is dramatically changing how doctors and healthcare institutions save patient data.
If medical colleges integrate EMR, students will be guided through the process of making the Electronic Health Record from assessment and implementation of an EHR to Patient Record Content and Management. Once the student completes the course, he/she will be versed in the technology, terminology, and procedures required obtaining and maintaining an efficient Electronic Health Record.
EMRs include variety of data such as medical history, medication, drug reactions, allergies, demographics, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information. Having such a huge database of information at fingertips can change the entire face of healthcare. If today’s medical students are trained right in medical colleges to use EMR, then tomorrow’s doctors will already be adept at utilising it to the hilt, optimizing efficiency and reducing healthcare costs.
What Medical colleges stand to gain with EMRs
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software is a pre-constituted, consistent, model patient dataset for use in course syllabus and class labs.
- Limitless number of user accounts for students at an attributed education system or part of a residency program.
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software is a valuable educational tool and a very useful option for medical colleges to improve physician efficiency and reduce adverse drug reactions.
- All user accounts are automatically provisioned with the sample patient dataset.
- Distance learning is also possible through digital formatting enabling information to be used and shared over secure networks.
- Exchange of information between students, teachers, and different medical colleges and institutions can be achieved by technical and social framework that enables information to move electronically, seamlessly.
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software is availed on tablet and smartphones, so the learning process continues uninterrupted, anywhere and everywhere.
- During internship, when the posting is at different hospitals, sometimes even at rural hospitals, then the medical teachers and staff can still continue training and teaching all students like a classroom session through the internet via use of this software.
- Electronic Medical Records includes access to Personal Health Records (PHR) which makes individual notes from hospitals available.
Hence, it is a necessity today to teach this software in medical colleges, so that the learning doctors not only benefit from its uses, but also become adeptt at it for further use after graduation.
Contributed by Dr. Rachita Narsaria, MD
References:
- Parish, C (2006). “Edging towards a brave new IT world”. Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing) 20 (27): 15–6. PMID 16566331