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Benefits of electronic records
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The "Information for Health" strategy highlights many compelling arguments for a move towards an electronic health record. Compared to traditional paper-based records, electronic records offer much better legibility, accuracy, safety, security, and are available when required, and can be more readily and rapidly retrieved and communicated. They better integrate the latest information about a patient’s care, for example from different departmental clinical systems in a hospital, and can have this information instantly linked to the best current contextual medical guidance and knowledge.
In addition, they can be more readily analysed (in aggregated form) for audit, research, development of health improvement programmes, resource planning and management, clinical governance and quality assurance purposes. However, in order to make best use of all these facilities, healthcare professionals need to develop the appropriate knowledge management skills. When this level is reached, the outcomes of healthcare will be immeasurably improved and better decisions will be made everywhere in the NHS.
Other benefits of electronic records to patients and staff include:
1-Speeding healthcare delivery, convenience and confidence: Patients are spared the ritual task of repeating their name, demographic details and medical history to every NHS person they have to deal with. Patients’ confidence is greatly increased when they know that all authorised healthcare professionals have 24-hour access to all relevant elements of their medical history. Patients also become more confident if they know that their records are accessible wherever needed, even in places like patients’ homes or where an emergency occurs (e.g., at hospital A&E departments, where patients in time of stress may not be able to provide a detailed history). This has been promoted as "bringing information and evidence to the patient’s bedside," and might be achieved using technologies like palmtop computers with wireless and infrared communication. This will immeasurably improve emergency and ambulatory care.
2-Seamless integration of care and reduction of the distance barrier: For example, online communication between GPs (primary care) and hospitals (acute sector) will speed and ease access to services and information such as electronic referrals, electronic outpatient bookings, discharge information, and test results. The co-ordination of multi-professional and multi-agency care for elderly, frail, vulnerable patients and those with challenging behaviour will be also improved.
3-Ensuring integrity of data: If one department uses a middle initial and the other does not, the hospital staff may think the records belong to two separate people. Such data integrity problems should disappear with properly implemented electronic records using the unique NHS number and Patient Master Index (PMI).
4-Improving efficiency and reducing waiting lists: A study of information management and systems in the acute hospitals performed in 1995 estimated that 25% of doctors’ and nurses’ time was spent collecting data and using information. Electronic patient records will reduce the amount of time spent on this activity, and free more time for direct patient care. Achieving efficiency and productivity benefits through the use of electronic patient records will be important in supporting the national policy objective of reducing waiting lists.
Repeating an investigation, e.g., an X-ray, because the result of a previous one has been lost or cannot be easily retrieved or communicated (poor information sharing/ integration/archiving) will become something of the past. In case of our example (an X-ray), this will save the patient unnecessary and hazardous exposure to radiation, plus saving time and money, improving staff efficiency and increasing patient’s satisfaction and confidence.
Sources:
Abdul Roudsari, Centre for Health Informatics, City University.--User:138.40.95.27|138.40.95.27 07:05, 13 February 2007 (CST)
