For any provider, patient safety is a top concern. Many providers speculate whether electronic health records actually ensure patient safety and security and are hesitant to adopt an EHR system, but they should not. There are plenty of ways that EHRs are much safer than paper records. Consider these reasons for why EHRs improve patient safety.
1. They prevent medication errors
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology just released a data brief that found EHRs were three times more likely to prevent a medication error than cause one. EHRs help keep records of every medication that patients take and any allergies they might have, HealthIT.gov noted. When physicians prescribe new medications, the system will check for any errors or identify prescriptions that should not mix and will alert the physician about them immediately.
2. They send notifications for critical lab values
The data brief noted that more than half of physicians were notified of significant lab values. These notifications can help doctors examine the data that matters and come to a clinical decision more quickly, stopping patient harm later on.
3. EHRs send reminders about preventative care
The brief discovered that EHRs reminded nearly half of physicians included in the study to perform preventative care measures. Some of these measures include administering vaccinations or cancer screenings. These preventive care steps can help catch signs of a condition early and help prevent problems down the road.
4. EHRs communicate directly with other providers
More than half of physicians had EHRs that directly communicated with other providers, according to the data brief. EHRs also hold all information that providers have and can transmit it when necessary. So, if patients are unconscious in an emergency room, the providers at the hospital can determine if the patients are allergic to any medication or any chronic conditions they may have without problems.
5. EHRs catch system problems
Unlike paper records, EHRs can catch any operational problems early on. Any system glitches that may harm patient records or prevent the best patient care are immediately discovered by the software. EHRs will notify providers and help them quickly and seamlessly eliminate the problem. With paper records, problems could go unnoticed for years. That could lead to providers getting audited or patient harm.
When we built our EMR, we spent years inside doctors’ offices learning what mattered to them. Discover how Medical Mastermind EMR, recently ranked in the top 20 EMR solutions nationwide, is different from the rest. Contact us for a demonstration.
