News Summary :
The implication that the electronic medical record (EMR) system at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas was somehow to blame for the care delay of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan is flawed, according to Kalorama Information. The healthcare market research firm has covered the EMR (electronic medical records) industry annually since 2007, and says EMR has advantages in health threats and that paper systems would not be preferable.
EMR usability issues came to the forefront with early news reports based on Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital’s implication that Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan had initially been sent home due to a lack of transparency in its EMR system, provided by Epic Systems. The statement indicated that because the patient’s vital travel history entered into the EMR by the nurse did not appear in an area that the emergency room physician could access, it wasn’t known to the physician. The hospital later clarified that Mr. Duncan’s travel history had been documented and available to the full care team in the EMR, including within the physician’s workflow. So, the physician caring for Mr. Duncan had the ability to access the patient travel history if it needed to be called up.
