The Electronic Health Record (EHR)

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EHR Research Paper
The electronic health record (EHR) is a simultaneous patient-centered record that allows data to be accessible instantaneously and encrypted for sanctioned users (HealthIT.gov, 2013). The EHR encompasses medical history, demographics, medications, allergies, care plans, immunization records, radiology images, lab orders, and test results (HealthIT.gov, 2013). The EHR system also provides health care providers with evidence-based tools to assist with making decisions regarding patient care and provides a modernized systematic workflow (HealthIT.gov, 2013). Factors that typically influence the adoption of EHR systems include the establishment of HITECH (Federal government policy) to achieve meaningful use, Medicaid & Medicare …show more content…

However, few patients are typically offered full access to their medical records and physician progress notes are seldom available. After a demonstration of OpenNotes (a movement to make health care more transparent and open through sharing visit notes with patients), 8 healthcare providers in the U.S. decided to make their progress notes available to patients on the patient portal and since more providers have followed suit (Walker, Meltsner, & Delbanco, 2015). By December of 2014, over five million patients in the U.S. had online access to their clinic notes and this has caused the government to provide increased funding to support use of electronic health records (Walker, Meltsner, & Delbanco, 2015). The benefit of sharing this information with patients is that can help engage patient’s in their care and promote improved outcomes. With this information, patients are then able to electronically message their providers with questions or concerns and review lab and diagnostic imaging results once they have been reviewed by the provider. However, many health care providers worry that they will have to alter the language they use for parents to understand, that they will receive requests to alter the record, or the patients will be …show more content…

The article “More screen time, less face time – implications for EHR design” was published in 2014 and provides a quantitative study that analyzes and relates physician-patient interactions with paper charts and EHR systems in ambulatory and primary care settings (Asan, Smith, & Montague, 2014). The study method utilized recorded video documentation that filmed physician-patient interaction while using paper charts or an EHR system (Asan, Smith, & Montague, 2014). The videos were coded using a quantified video coding procedure by measuring the eye gaze duration between the physician, provider, chart, and EHR (Asan, Smith, & Montague, 2014). Once the measurements were obtained, a numerical analysis was performed to compare the results. 80 patients and 8 family medicine physicians participated in the study (Asan, Smith, & Montague, 2014). There was a total of 80 visits and 40 visits were with paper and 40 visits were with EHR (Asan, Smith, & Montague, 2014). The results showed that the amount of time spent staring at the health record were significantly higher during EHR visits and a smaller amount of time was spent making eye contact with the patient during EHR visits (Asan, Smith, &

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