Electronic Health Records

Technological advancement has profoundly impacted the healthcare sector, improving patient care through safer and effective practices. Besides that, technology has led to significant cost-cutting, making care more affordable. One technology that has been pervasive in the healthcare sector is electronic health records (EHR). The topic of electronic health records is fascinating to me due to my passion and interest in data and how it can be exploited to assist humanity. In the contemporary information age, I believe that data is a crucial element in the progress and advancement of human civilization. Thus, I am interested in knowing the impact of data on the current and future nursing profession. I have always believed that effective patient data collection, storage, and analysis are core elements of delivering quality care. One of the critical aspects of data in modern organizational environments is data analysis. As a proponent of big data analytics, EHRs are of profound interest to me due to their potential to provide massive data for analysis, leading to the uncovering of healthcare trends. In writing this annotated bibliography, I sought to find scholarly sources from various research databases. In this regard, I undertook my research in PubMed, Academic Search Complete, PubMed Central, ERIC, and Medline with Full Text. During the search, I employed various search terms that included “Electronic Health Records,” “EHR,” “Electronic Medical Records,” “Digital Health Records,” and “Digital Medical Records.” I combined them with “Patient Quality,” Patient Care,” “Patient Safety and “Nurse Collaboration.” This annotated bibliography explores how EHRs can be employed to improve the quality of care.

Annnotation

Honavar, S. G. (2020). Electronic medical records–The good, the bad, and the ugly. Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, 68(3), 417-418. https://doi.org/10.4103%2Fijo.IJO_278_20

This article offers an insight into the various advantages and disadvantages of employing EHR in the delivery of effective care. The author asserts that medical records have evolved from manual systems to digital formats due to the technological advancements that have led to increased computerization of the healthcare system. Honavar (2020) asserts that EHRs are expected to have various benefits in delivering quality care, among them improving the accuracy of patient information since automated systems are more accurate in data capture, processing, and storage than human beings. Besides that, EHRs shall enhance healthcare decision-making by providing quality data, leading to improved care. In addition, the author indicates that from an operational perspective, EHRs shall generate critical statistics essential to the planning and management of care services. However, Honavar (2020) warns that EHRs are not perfect systems. In this case, they are associated with various disbenefits that affect the delivery of quality care. For example, the author indicates that EHRs have hindered face-to-face patient-doctor interaction, an essential element of delivering personalized care. In this case, the author argues that through EHRs, physicians and nurses end up treating screens instead of the patient. Therefore, EHRs have led to the distortion of the doctor-patient interaction, which is the backbone of traditional medicine and patient care. However, despite the aforementioned disadvantage, using EHRs is recommended since their merits outweigh their demerits.

Tsai, C. H., Eghdam, A., Davoody, N., Wright, G., Flowerday, S., & Koch, S. (2020). Effects of electronic health record implementation and barriers to adoption and use: a scoping review and qualitative analysis of the content. Life, 10(12), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Flife10120327

This article explores the various impacts of EHR implementation and its associated barriers. From the undertaken study, the author indicates that EHR implementation has multiple benefits that include efficiency. In this case, clinicians indicated that EHRs improved their work efficiency by reducing the time and energy required to work with paper-based records. Besides that, the authors argue that EHRs’ implementation significantly reduces time spent on various administrative tasks. In addition, the authors assert that EHRs improve communication among healthcare teams and clinicians. For example, the instant messaging tool provided by EHRs has enhanced collaboration between clinicians and healthcare teams. Furthermore, this collaboration has been further enabled by improved access to patient information. Moreover, the author concluded that EHR implementation decreased clinicians’ workload. Thus, reducing workload prevents clinicians from experiencing burnout, improving their efficacy in delivering quality care. Therefore, this article indicates that EHRs are essential for patient safety and the delivery of quality care by enhancing clinicians’ work efficiency, collaboration, and reducing their work effectiveness.

This article explores the capability of EHRs in mitigating medication errors in healthcare emergency departments. Medication errors are associated with adverse patient outcomes such as the risk of injury, mortality, disability, and increased hospital length of stay. The author asserts that in 2012, medication errors in the US were responsible for over 700000 emergency cases and 120000 hospital admissions, with an estimated US$3.5 billion economic burden. In addition, 40% of these cases were preventable. However, the author concludes that using EHRs is an effective intervention in preventing medication errors in emergency departments, leading to improved patient outcomes. According to Vaidotas et al. (2019), an essential tool that EHRs provide in avoiding medication errors is the provision of safety warnings at various stages of prescription and administration of medication. Furthermore, EHRs provide high legibility compared to manual systems, significantly reducing medication errors that result from illegibility issues. Therefore, this article proves that EHR is a critical technology in reducing medication errors, thus improving patient safety. In this regard, healthcare organizations should adopt the technology for positive patient outcomes.

Vos, J. F., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05542-6

This article explores the impacts of EHR implementation on the collaboration of medical specialists. Effective interdisciplinary collaboration is critical in promoting active participation of various disciplines where various professionals work together towards the core goal of quality patient treatment. According to the author, interprofessional collaboration is associated with reduced medical errors, increased patient satisfaction, and improved effectiveness in healthcare delivery. In this study, the authors indicate that EHR helps healthcare professionals coordinate care at any place since EHR data and information access are not limited to time and place. Furthermore, the authors state that EHRs reduce the necessity of face-to-face doctor-patient communication, saving time and increasing care efficiency. Besides that, instant access to patient files improves interprofessional decision-making, a core element of achieving patient safety. Therefore, this article is crucial in nursing as it affirms the significance of EHRs in fostering interprofessional collaboration. Thus, health organizations should implement EHRs to foster effective coordination of care services between various disciplines, achieving quality care.