Within the clinical setting, the use of either EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) or HER (Electronic Health Record) is preferred over paper charts for organizational and monitor purposes as they present an opportunity to easily track changes in the patient’s health status. Both systems fit into the category of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with a primary focus on the improvement in interpersonal communication, but each has its defining points.
EMR system is developed to be used in one separate institution, and the system does not support the ability to exchange the patients’ information with other systems. Thus, in order to provide the patients’ information to the other organization, information from the EMR system must be printed out and sent in from of physical document or converted. The EHR, on the other hand, is developed with a focus on the exchange feature.
In terms of safety features, the EMR system does not allow data exchange to other organizations and additionally offers an information encryption feature that protects the patients’ documents. On the other hand, EHR systems are prone to data entry mistakes and other usability issues that could potentially have significant consequences, like medication errors due absence of allergy alerts. In addressing the potential consequences that may occur from the misuse of electronic systems, Alanazi et al. (2020) associated the low level of satisfaction with the systems with low computer literacy skills and inadequate system use. According to the authors, the main points of dissatisfaction were the inability to process lab results, the time-consuming character of work, and the frequent occurrence of system errors (Alanazi et al., 2020). It might be that the current negative perception and frequent mistakes of the systems might be caused by low-level computer literacy among medical personnel.
References
Alanazi, B., Butler-Henderson, K., & Alanazi, M. R. (2020). Factors influencing healthcare professionals’ perception towards EHR/EMR systems in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A systematic review. Oman Medical Journal, 35(6), 1-8. Web.