Cloud-Based Electronic Health Record: Advantages and Drawbacks

Despite the numerous benefits of electronic medical records for hospitals, healthcare owners must still be concerned about data security. It is critical to choose cloud-based solutions that are secure and dependable. Cloud-based electronic health records are medical records stored in the cloud rather than on paper or in your office server.

Electronic health record (EHR) systems are only one of the technologies that must be utilised in modern clinics to provide excellent medical care. In this article, we will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of a cloud-based EHR system and why cloud-based EHR solutions are encouraging and secure.

Significance of Cloud-based EHR

A cloud-based EHR is a health IT solution that uses cloud technology to store, exchange, and protect medical information for patients. Cloud data storage is one of the most trustable ways to handle sensitive information, reduce the load on on-premises servers, and lower the costs of maintaining hospital health IT systems.

Cloud-based EHRs allow doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to store patient data such as medical history, medications, test results, and more from anywhere, at any time. They can also utilise them to communicate with other care team members, schedule appointments, and even order prescriptions across multiple devices. Patients can obtain a comprehensive solution for their practice that will assist them in improving the way they provide care.

Benefits of Cloud-based EHR

There are numerous benefits of EHR systems powered by cloud solutions that range from reducing paper waste to improving patient care.

1. Better Patient Care: Your patients are at the centre of everything you conduct. One of the advantages of cloud-based EHR systems is that they can assist you in improving patient care and patient interactions.
2. All Medical Data in one place: EHR can store all of a patient's medical information in one place. Furthermore, 63% of practitioners noted that EHR systems enabled them to substantially enhance the care and medical services provided.
3. Scalability: Cloud-based EHR software is easily scalable because it is typically delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). According to this concept, the hospital should only pay for the functionality used and only move to advanced features when necessary.
4. Increased efficiency: Cloud-based EHR systems can help you boost your practice's efficiency in various ways. For starters, they can assist you in saving time on tasks such as scheduling appointments and ordering prescriptions. With a cloud-based EHR system, you can accomplish all of these tasks with a few clicks. Furthermore, cloud-based EHRs can assist you in saving time on tasks such as charting. You can, however, do this electronically with a cloud-based EHR system, saving you hours each week.
5. Private and secure: You can be confident that your patient records are safe and secure when you store them in the cloud. The same HIPAA regulations apply to cloud-based EHR systems as they do to server-based EHR systems. This means that your medical records will be kept confidential and secure.
   Furthermore, cloud EHR systems are frequently backed up by multiple servers. As a result, you can guarantee that your patient records will be saved and available even if one server fails.
6. Reduced costs: A cloud-based EHR system can help you save money without sacrificing quality. There are no significant upfront costs, and you do not need to consider system maintenance or upgrades. When you shift to a cloud-based EHR system, you will be able to save money on IT and reinvest it in your practice.
7. Advanced search features: Electronic health records are adaptable and enable physicians to access the information they require easily. A cloud-based health information system is no different.
8. Quick exchange and sharing: Because all medical data from various hospitals and laboratories is stored in one location with EHR, cloud technology enables institutions to share and exchange information instantly.

Drawbacks of Cloud-based EHR

1. Cybersecurity and Privacy Issues: Hackers can attack any computer system, and EHR systems are no exception. Because patient healthcare information is one of the most vulnerable data types, healthcare providers must implement an advanced data security strategy for their EHR systems.
2. Fewer customizability possibilities: As cloud-based EHR in healthcare are SaaS solutions, they are not easily customisable. If more advanced services are required, the user can switch to them.
3. Inaccurate Data: If an EHR is not immediately updated when new information is collected, such as after entering test results, anyone can view that EHR may receive incorrect or incomplete information. This could result in errors in diagnosis, treatment, and health outcomes not only by the issuing practitioner but also by specialists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists.
4. Clinician burnout caused by EHRs: Clinicians are concerned about EHR-related burnout. Increased demands for data entry into an EHR system cause EHR-related burnout among doctors. As a result, studies indicate increased EHR-related data entry requirements are associated with decreased job satisfaction and burnout.

Conclusion

EHRs provide many significant benefits to providers and patients, including improved care quality, increased flexibility, and performance. However, data security must always come first. As a result, it is critical to carefully select the cloud vendor who will implement this solution for your medical facilities. Hence, ensure to choose the best EHR software to have your medical records secured and efficient.

FAQs

What is an EHR?

Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems are medical IT solutions that store a patient's medical data, such as disease and treatment histories, test results, descriptions of special and chronic conditions, vaccinations, ultrasound results, and x-ray images.

What distinguishes a medical record (EMR) and a health record (EHR)?

An EMR is a patient's digital record at each hospital or doctor's office where they receive medical services, whereas an EHR consolidates all of a patient's medical data from various sources and institutions.

What is cloud-based EHR?

A cloud-based EHR is a health IT solution that uses cloud technology to store, exchange, and protect medical information for patients.

What are the functions of EHR?

EHR is an important component of health information technology because it can store a patient's medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment planning, immunisation dates, allergies, radiology images, and lab and test results. Allow providers access to evidence-based tools for making patient care decisions.

What are the key components of EHR?

The key EHR components include:

• E-prescriptions
• Collection of important data
• Lab interfaces
• Online appointment scheduling
• Billing
• Clinical support
• Generating data reports

What are the ways EHR will continue to improve?

• EHRs are expected to rely more on open interoperability standards in the future.
• By incorporating predictive analysis into EHR solutions, accumulated data can be used to support clinical support decision systems, alert doctors to potential developments, and analyse proposed treatment solutions.
• Blockchain, AI, NLP, and app extensions may be used in future EHRs.
• EHRs will evolve from personal medical records to personal health management plans, focusing on providing information to the healthcare provider and the patient.
• AI-based algorithms will integrate suitable algorithms for treating a patient's multiple illnesses and conditions, resolving conflicts and cutbacks automatically.