Due to Covid-19, the world has been experiencing a massive awareness of contactless data entry and how vital are EMR and EHR. Nowadays, Telehealth has become a norm rather than an exception. The future of EMR and EHR holds much more than data entry. It promises better care and ease of availing superior care with medical facilities using digital technologies. Digitalisation could solve all of these in one click. These digital technologies have taken the main attraction, and now they will stay.

This article will show you the importance of these digital softwares and how they are changing the medical practice, so let's deep dive into the article to know more.

What Are EMR And EHR?

An EMR (Electronic Medical Record) is a digital version of the patient information data stored in the computer. Whereas an EHR (Electronic Health Record) is a digital record of health information. Although some medical professionals use the term EMR and EHR interchangeably, the benefits they offers vary greatly.

The EMR refers to everything you'd find in a paper chart, such as medical history, diagnosis, medication, allergies etc. It works well within a practice. They are limited because they do not quickly transfer outside the practice. It might only share, or printed by another provider, to see the patient history.

At the same time, an EHR refers to a digital record of health information. It contains all the information you find on paper and a lot more, like past medical history, progress notes, vital signs, diagnosis, allergies, lab data, imaging or investigation reports etc. It can also contain insurance-related information about the patient, demographic data and health-related data imported from the wellness device.

EHR is more reliable than EMR because the power of EHR lies in its sharing. Patient health information becomes accessible instantly to authorised providers across the health organisation. It helps to coordinate efficiently.

How Can EMR And EHR improve Medical practice?

We all know that treating patients with proper medication and care needs proper documentation of their medical history, diagnosis, investigation, lab reports, etc. It is a multidisciplinary approach that needs tools that improve access to information. The EMR and EHR are those softwares that will enhance medical practice in the following aspects;

• Better Decisions And More Coordinated Care
  EMR software provides a patient's health information in a more coordinated manner, which is impossible in paper format. Now doctors can view in graph formats valuable information like cholesterol level, blood pressure, and heart rate tracking changes over time. An electronic medical record can provide the treatment goals of the patient and alerts when certain preventive manoeuvres are due. It also allows access to the best treatment approach, information and resources that might need by the medical practitioner. These information helps the doctor to take better decisions for the patient.
• Improved Diagnosis And patient Outcome
  Patients receive better treatment when healthcare providers have access to complete and accurate information. EMR can improve the ability to diagnose disease and reduce medical errors, improving patient outcomes.

A national survey of doctors has evidence that;

1. 88% say that EMR gives clinical benefits to the practice.
2. 94% of healthcare providers report that their EMR makes it easier to readily available the records at the point of care.
3. 75% of caregivers say that EMR helps them to provide better treatment.

• Improved Relationship Between The Healthcare Team
  Electronic medical records improve communication between the family Physician and the multidisciplinary team members like paramedical staff, lab technicians and other caregivers to the patient. It provides them with better-structured information about the patient and the prescriptions, which reduces the errors in prescribing medications and other treatments. It could also improve communication with patients with patient portals and personal health records and engage the patient effectively in managing their treatment protocols.
• Positive Effect On WorkFlow
  The positive effect of EMRs on the work life of medical professionals has been demonstrated by Physicians' largely favourable perception of these medical apps. However, the implementation of EMR can lead to subjective feelings. Studies show that EMR allows clinicians to see a large number of patients through better access to comprehensive medical histories that include clinical data. It helps clinicians to spend less time searching for prescription files and reports. The perceived benefits include remote access to patient health charts, improved laboratory results, medication error alerts, reminders for preventive care, etc.
• Increased Patient Participation
  Physician and patient who shares an EMR system can collaborate in informed decision-making. Patient participation is extremely important in managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. With EMRs, the clinician can give detailed and accurate information in a user-friendly manner to the patient about all their medical evaluations. Physicians can also offer follow-up information after the hospital visit, such as self-care instructions, reminders for other follow-up care and home treatment plans.

Healthcare providers can manage appointment schedules with the EMR system. They can exchange contact information such as an e-mail with their patients. Quick and easy communication between the patient and the clinician helps in the early identification of diseases, and it also helps in better treatment protocols.

• Improved Patient Care
  Electronic medical records can improve patient care quality. It can also make healthcare more convenient for providers and patients. Quick access to patient records from in-patient and other locations for more coordinated and efficient care. That supports enhanced decisions, clinical alerts and reminders. It is a performance-improving medical tool that provides real-time quality medical reports of the patients that further helps in safer and more reliable treatments.
  At the same time, it gives patients the convenience of e-prescriptions digitally sent to the pharmacy. EMRs also reduce the need to fill out the same form at each hospital visit. It also gives the patients reliable point-of-care information and reminders of essential health interventions. Electronic referral allows easier access to follow-up care with specialists.
  
• Reduce Paper Work And Cost Effective
  EMRs can reduce the amount of time clinicians spend on paperwork. Administrative tasks, such as filling out forms and billing process requests, represent a significant percentage of healthcare costs. Electronic medical records can increase practice efficiencies by streamlining these tasks, significantly decreasing costs. Many clinicians have found that these electronic medical apps help improve medical practice management by increasing cost savings. EMRs benefit medical practice in many ways. Such as:

1. It improves patient health by providing quality treatment through better diagnosis, patient education and management protocol.
2. It reduces transcription costs.
3. It also reduces file storage, cost of refilling etc.
4. It improved documentation capabilities.
5. EMRs reduce medical errors through better access to patient data and error prevention alerts.
6. Paper prescriptions can get lost or misread. With EMRs' e-prescriptions, clinicians can communicate directly with the pharmacy, which would help save many lives by reducing errors.

In addition, EHRs can deliver more information in additional directions. EHRs can be programmed for easy and automatic delivery of information that needs to be shared with public health agencies or for the purpose of quality measurement.

How Do EMR And EHR Save Money And Time?

The easy, all-in-one nature of EMR and EHR can significantly save the time and money of medical practitioners and patients by reducing errors and improving communication. Hospitals that use this software can cut down on wasteful spending. And these digital systems save costs on tests, prescriptions and supply needs. This software's efficiency makes it faster and easier for medical teams to get their work done. Patient history can be accessed from anywhere, significantly reducing time wasted going from one place to another to transfer files.

While making work more efficient is undoubtedly better for medical staff, one of the stand-out elements of these software is the way it improves information accuracy. They are easy to read data because they are typed in the exact standard text, reducing the risk of errors. The society of Actuaries found that medical errors cost billions across the country. Medical facilities can save themselves a lot of time and money by reducing errors.

How Is EMR Software Changing The Healthcare Industry?

In simple words, EMR software collects patient-related information stored digitally. It is a way for medical professionals and hospitals to reduce cabinets filled with patient files. EMR is the centre tool that helps manage all the information related to patient care. These days, more than 80% of hospitals have an EMR system. Today, EMR applications are the key to sharing information across healthcare networks. It provides healthcare providers with the ability to treat patients more efficiently. A physician can quickly review the diagnosis and previous treatment protocols by simply opening the patient file with one click. It helps to reduce confusion and redundancies. And the patient can access all their health information to stay up to date on their treatment plans and make informed decisions about their own care.

In the end, A well-costumed EMR and EHR system is a great way to ensure cost-effective and error-free diagnosis and treatment of patients. By minimising the cost and workflow, the organisation will remain to streamline healthcare in future to provide a better patient experience.