Significance and Essence
In modern conditions, the treatment of one disease can be a complex process of many hospitalizations (including in different medical institutions) and outpatient observation. At the same time, a lot of medical histories and outpatient cards are created, access to which is very difficult for the attending physician even within one organization (Kruse et al., 2018). This often leads to unnecessary repeated studies and insufficient (incomplete) awareness of the doctor. It is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate the traditional medical history; new forms of generalization are required. Modern information and electronic technologies have a crucial role to play in solving these problems. Obtaining an electronic medical document from the archive is much faster and easier. Such a document, unlike the traditional one, can be accessed by many doctors at the same time and can be used for computer processing. This can be the construction of dynamic curves, control of personnel actions, statistical processing, expert systems, and preparation of reports (Kruse et al., 2018). The electronic medical record contains information about a person’s health and what medical services were provided. It also contains information about doctors’ appointments, vaccinations, medical examinations, the results of tests and studies, all medical interventions performed, prescriptions issued, certificates and sick leaves.
Athenahealth
By the end of November 2021, Athenahealth is cooperating with more than 140,000 outpatient care providers in all 50 US states and in more than 120 specialties (athenahealth, 2021). It seeks to accelerate the pace of innovation in healthcare and support significant clinical and financial results.
Pros
The program is really easy to use, and navigating is straightforward. The UI is really attractive and easy to use. Teaching people about it is relatively straightforward, as is receiving instruction in it. It is worth noting that this software has a number of additional functions that make it possible to simplify the work of a medical institution (athenahealth, 2021). This is reflected in various coordination work processes within the organization. The advantage is also the user page for patients, in which all information is presented in an easy and accessible form. For the health workers themselves, functions are available that allow them to shorten the process of issuing prescriptions for medications and applying for additional research.
Cons
Despite these advantages, many users note that there are significant disadvantages. The main ones relate mainly to the high cost of the program. This is reflected in the implementation process, which can be quite long and difficult (athenahealth, 2021). In addition, it should be noted that there is some difficulty in mastering the system for those who have not used EHRs. Another disadvantage may be the difficulty of language for patients, which complicates the process of communication and interaction.
eClinicalWorks
The solution has a full set of features that help in delivering a customizable and highly innovative application for various settings, such as health centers, primary care office, mobile clinics and hospitals. The program is widely recognized for its ability to prioritize customer satisfaction easily. The capabilities of eClinicalWorks are further enhanced by its optimization for use on mobile devices.
Pros
This program has many additional features which allow improving the interaction of the patient and the medical institution. This is reflected in the easy accessibility and integration with mobile applications. This improves the availability of the program, so it is easy and simple for users to find out up-to-date information (eClinicalWorks, 2021). Another advantage is the use of eClinicalWorks worldwide. Therefore, when moving or staying abroad, the patient can easily receive up-to-date and correct treatment (eClinicalWorks, 2021). For the medical workers they, additional opportunities are presented that allow them to write additional referrals for examinations and medical prescriptions.
Cons
Despite its accessibility and advantages, this software has a number of problems that are associated with a lack of design and work on improving the system. This is reflected in many errors, which greatly complicate the process of interaction between the patient and the medical institution. In addition, the complexity may cause an intuitive and accessible interface. This aspect is quite important for older users, who may find it difficult to get the necessary information. This is also evident in the non-obvious navigation inside the application, since the tabs are inconveniently located. Allegedly, users face difficulties communicating with support. It is also worth noting the fact that the software is not supported at a sufficient level, as there are no necessary and timely updates.
Technologies
The process of implementing new software should not present many difficulties for a medical organization. The main issues need to be resolved in the field of creating conditions for employees to master the program. It is especially important to make sure that there are available servers for storing large amounts of data (Kruse et al., 2018). It should be noted that the program can work from a local network. Like any other modern invention, an electronic card has not only advantages, but also, unfortunately, disadvantages. The most significant disadvantage is that in case of a possible power outage, the record becomes completely inaccessible (Kruse et al., 2018). Such a negative feature can significantly affect the patient’s treatment in emergency situations. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that alternative energy sources are available.
Implementation
Several medical institutions or a healthcare management body can organize the maintenance of common electronic health records by joining together. These organizers, before starting the introduction of a new type of records, should identify ways to manage the system. In the future, they will determine who can access documents, be responsible for data security, for the possibility of information exchange between medical organizations, for the interaction of the system with other products and systems with which the doctor works (Aguirre et al., 2019). The main task set by the organization implementing electronic cards is to improve the quality of patient care through competent management of medical data. These data should be supplemented during treatment, and then stored in a place accessible to medical professionals. The process of maintaining an electronic medical record is regulated by an integrated electronic medical archive, which tracks the receipt of new information, its processing, further storage and transfer to medical organizations. Forming a document and entering new data into it is not the responsibility of the archive; it is conducted by clinics and their employees. In order for the archive to provide the most complete information about the patient, it is necessary that the employees who enter data into the documents take this process seriously, and not only add new information, but also transfer old data stored in paper medical records (Aguirre et al., 2019). In order for the information in the electronic medical record to correspond to reality, it is essential to strictly ensure that it is possible to clearly understand which patient the card belongs to, who entered the data about them (Aguirre et al., 2019). The data from the electronic medical record is not destroyed, they are stored in the system for a long period, and access to them is limited only after the death of the patient, then they are transferred to the archive.
Staff Training
With its appearance, medical workers will need to learn how to keep records electronically; especially this can cause rejection among older employees. For the competent introduction of a new format of the medical card into use, it is better to do it gradually. In the course of the introduction of electronic medical records, employees will find many advantages in them, for example, the facts of loss of records containing important information that cannot be restored, because it is not duplicated anywhere, are reduced (Aguirre et al., 2019). If the clinic staff has difficulties when working with equipment, then the introduction of a new form of document management should begin with those for whom working at a computer is not difficult. Very soon they will make sure of the convenience of the electronic medical card of the patient, which provides comprehensive data about them and facilitates the process of filling out documents.
Automation of Registration and Maintenance of Electronic Medical Records
The idea of the clinic begins to form from the moment of treatment. Patients expect not only polite treatment from the administrator, but also the fastest possible appointment, card registration, and competent information on prices and services. These factors reflect the overall quality of the service and affect the company’s image.
Criteria for Choosing an Electronic Health Records
The program should provide ample opportunities at a reasonable cost. It is mandatory to have modules for a doctor, a medical registrar, a supervisor. It is desirable to have integration with laboratories, online appointment services, and government services. Most of the good programs are boxed, that is, they are installed on the clinic’s computer (Aguirre et al., 2019). This is due to the legislation in the field of personal data protection and technical features. A simple, user-friendly, intuitive interface is very important. The time of implementation should be determined by the needs of specialists and the clinic. With the help of an individual medical record in electronic format, it is possible to view all the services that were provided to the patient during the entire time of treatment in the clinic. The doctor also has access to the medical history, comparison of the results of current and previous tests, appointments and conclusions written by other medical professionals.
Legal Considerations
Before a medical organization decides to switch to electronic medical documentation (in the form of a local act of the head of the medical organization), it must ensure the organizational and technical possibility of the corresponding process. These are mainly organizational and technical requirements: for the formation, signing of electronic documents, as well as their registration in the unified state information system in the field of healthcare. A medical organization may decide to maintain medical records in the form of electronic medical documents in whole or in part by establishing a list of forms and types of them (Aguirre et al., 2019). It should be noted that at the moment the patient’s right to receive information about any of his rights arising from health protection relations, in particular, in connection with the provision of medical care to them, is not ensured by the corresponding duty of a medical organization (or a medical worker), which is unacceptable.
Professional Burnout
For the convenience of the doctor, it is necessary to structure information about the patient in such a way that it is easier to assess the patient’s condition and make competent clinical decisions. Incomprehensible and inconvenient system designs, frequent failures in the program lead to constant stress when filling it out. Professional burnout of employees of medical institutions is the primary factor that threatens patients. Therefore, it is worth choosing simple and convenient software. Poor-quality clinic software negatively affects the implementation of medical activities.
References
Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019). Electronic health record implementation: A review of resources and tools. Cureus, e5649. Web.
athenahealth. (2021). EHR software – electronic medical records. Web.
eClinicalWorks. (2021). About us. Web.
Kruse, C. S., Stein, A., Thomas, H., & Kaur, H. (2018). The use of electronic health records to support population health: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Medical Systems, 42(11). Web.