Benefits of Electronic Medical Records

Benefits of Electronic Medical Records
An EMR is more beneficial than paper records because it allows providers to:
• Track data over time
• Identify patients who are due for preventive visits and screenings
• Monitor how patients measure up to certain parameters, such as vaccinations and blood pressure readings
• Improve overall quality of care in a practice
The information stored in EMRs is not easily shared with providers outside of a practice. A patient’s record might even have to be printed out and delivered by mail to specialists and other members of the care team.
Health care Environment
Health care professionals’ practice in an environment that is complex, with many regulations, laws and standards of practice. Performing an abortion is legal but may not be considered ethical by other health care professionals or members of the public at large. Other ethical dilemmas arise at the end of life, when a decision must be made to turn off life-support machines and allow death to occur. Other common ethical issues a health care professional might face are confidentiality, relationships with patients and matters related to consent, especially in the treatment of minors.
 Confidentiality is both an ethical and a legal issue. Keeping information about a patient confidential is a way of showing respect for the person’s autonomy; releasing information can damage the patient. There are also specific laws regarding the release of information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
The laws define exactly what information can be released and to whom.
 Relationships with patients, particularly sexual relationships, are forbidden by both the medical and nursing code of ethics. Such actions are considered serious misconduct and can result in expulsion from the profession and losing the license to practice. A sexual relationship is considered to be an abuse of power on the part of the physician or nurse, as patients are dependent and vulnerable.
 Health care practitioners of all sorts face the risk of being sued for malpractice. A lawsuit may be brought from an injury related to surgery, defective equipment or medical products, care that was omitted or a deliberate act that caused harm to a patient. The risk of litigation is such that many health care professionals’ practice what is called defensive medicine -- for example, ordering a test or performing a procedure primarily to ensure that the patient cannot allege negligence.

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