Health is a primary concern for any person. Each time a person visits a medical facility, he/she wants to get quality services so that they can have a feeling that their health issues have been thoroughly addressed. Individuals don’t want only to be treated well, but they also want their health records to be stored professionally. Digitizing health records, which is an advanced method of recording and storing personal health data, has played a critical role in improving patient satisfaction in the following ways.
Accuracy and Readability
We have all heard the funny jokes that people make about doctors handwriting. This is taken as a joke, but it is a serious concern because a patient will require another medical practitioner to read and interpret what has been written. Recording health records in well-written fonts that every person can read helps patients to understand their health conditions and the prescriptions that the doctor has recommended.
Having accurate health records that can be read easily is crucial as it can be used for future reference to track the treatment history. Using vendor neutral archive technology will assist an individual to access health images in all mediums without changing their form, which increases accuracy and readability.
Security of Health Records
Storing health records in files that are stored in wooden cabinets has for a long time caused friction between health facilities and patients after their records were accessed or stolen by an unknown person. People want their privacy to be maintained, and they don’t want to expose their illness to other people except to medical practitioners. Digitizing health records means that they are stored in computer systems that have passwords such that only the authorized persons can access such records. This will make patients to have a sense of security and comfortable when their records are within the medical premises.
Updating Health Records
Given that health records are stored in a digital platform which can be accessed through a mobile application or a website, patients feel satisfied because they can be notified through a text message when the records are updated. Many patients feel insecure when they find additional information on their records because they are have not been involved. Although they are not involved when the documents are stored on digital platforms, at least a patient can be notified when updates have been done. This makes them feel satisfied because they are informed if anything significant is done in their records.
Access to Health Records
There is a traditional perception of keeping health records in the custody of a doctor or a health facility. This strategy alienated patients from accessing their health records as and when they need it. This made them not to be satisfied because patients felt they were not treated professionally. Digitizing health records has drastically changed this dimension such that patients have their health records on their mobile devices through a mobile application. They can easily access their health records and track their medical history.
Supporting Better Care
Every person wants to access better care from the medical facilities that they visit. However, it will be difficult to access better and personalized care if the physician does not understand your medical history and that of close relatives. Digitizing health records and storing them in an integrated health management system that is shared between multiple medical facilities means that a physician can easily access the system and see all the health records concerning the patient at hand. This will help the physician to provide better and personalized care to the extent that the patient will be satisfied.
The health of an individual is an essential factor that involves both the patient and the physician. Digitizing health records provides the best platform where physicians and patients can interact. Health records should be digitized for among other benefits supporting better care, enhancing access, and better security of private records which will make patients be satisfied.
