Introduction
With the introduction of electronic medical records (EMRs) in the King Abdullah Specialized children’s hospital (KASCH), it is vital to explore the perspectives of patients and doctors towards the intervention. Almory et al. (2016) found that integrating EMRs in providing patient care reduces severe medical errors in pediatric patients by 50%, promoting patient-centeredness and increasing patient safety. The introduction of EMR systems in hospitals has been delineated as a valuable intervention based on their ability to provide updated medical knowledge and reminders that enhance the decision-making process of medical professionals. Based on the sense that production efficiency is one of the core elements of hospital performance, it is vital to explore the perspectives of patients and doctors towards the introduction of EMR systems in KAMC.
The Impact of Electronic Medical Records on Patient-Doctor Relationship
The integration of electronic medical records in providing patient care enhances patient-centeredness, clinical efficacy, and patient safety in KASCH. Almory et al. (2016) researched the medical errors recorded in KASCH between April 2015 and January 2016 through a chart-review study. The study included 256 567 medical cases reported during the given period, and out of all the orders, only 729 medical errors were recorded at a rate of 0.31% per 324 medical orders. EMR systems promote efficiency in hospitals since they have features such as a comprehensive clinical-decision support, medical order entry and alerting, and progressive data reporting and analysis (Alkureishi et al., 2016). Consequently, doctors can easily access and accurately evaluate a patient’s data to promote efficacy in providing patient care.
It is noteworthy that EMRs are associated with a standardized recording format that increases access to information, communication between workers, and the protection of patient data reducing the risk of medical errors (Wali et al., 2020; Lin et al., 2020). Consequently, integrating EMRs in providing patient care can promote a physician’s ability to reduce medical errors through accurate patient identification. The introduction of EMRs in healthcare has improved efficacy and quality in providing patient care based on their contribution as decision support tools (Zaman et al., 2020). EMRs are equipped with a computerized physician order entry that facilitates access to outpatients’ medical records, enhancing decision-making in treatment processes.
In addition, quality care providence and strong relationships in the healthcare system stem from factors like patient engagement and the promotion of effective communication between doctors and patients. Tsai et al. (2020) conducted a literature review based on PubMed, Web of Science, IEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library to investigate the contribution of EMRs in the healthcare system. The studies reviewed had been published between January 2005 and May 2020, and they had the United States as their country of origin. The researchers reviewed 238 articles through thematic analysis, and their findings were that EMRs improve communication and patient engagement in care processes. Although there are concerns about the reduced face-to-face interaction between patients and doctors, EMRs can be integrated with other e-health tools such as promoting social networking through the internet (Zaman et al., 2018; Salleh et al., 2020). The implementation of EMR has enhanced how doctors communicate with patients through virtual consultations, increasing patient engagement in the healthcare system.
Conclusion
EMRs have reduced medical errors in the care process and increased communication and engagement between doctors and patients, and this promotes the provision of quality care that is patient-centered. Outpatients in King Abdullah Specialized children’s hospital (KASCH) are more likely to be satisfied when increased communication between them and the doctors leads to the development of solid relationships. Although EMRs have reduced face-to-face communication, they have enhanced how hospitals integrate the internet in care providence, promoting engagement and clarification.
References
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