The Impact of Electronic Medical Records on Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety: Weight of Evidence or Wait for Evidence?
Khaliq, A. A., & Mwachofi, A. K.
Abstract:
In the U.S. the use of EMRs in both inpatient and ambulatory care settings is a relatively recent development. Since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal government has aggressively promoted the use of EMRs by introducing powerful economic incentives and punitive actions linked with measurable implementation goals and timelines to attain “Meaningful Use”. Aside from anticipated long term impact on overall cost of healthcare, the nationwide push for the use of EMRs stems from projected improvements in quality and patient safety. The advocates of nationwide implementation of EMRs argue that the use of EMRs in all settings of care allows for coordinated care, avoidance of medical errors, timely alerts to ward off serious consequences of prescription drugs, and instantaneous access to patient records regardless of the location of care. So far, the evidence regarding the impact of EMRs in improving quality, achieving operational efficiencies, and enhancing patient safety, though incomplete, is promising. The greatest promise and bulk of the evidence in improved quality has shown to be in the area of reduced medication errors through e-prescribing and adherence to preventive care guidelines. Though many patients and providers remain unimpressed or even skeptical, the question for policy makers and providers in the U.S. is no longer whether the implementation of EMRs will overtime result in significant gains in quality and patient safety to offset the upstream and ongoing costs of technology. The pressing question are how to overcome the hurdles and long will it take for local, regional or even nation-wide interoperable systems to be in place for all providers to effectively and efficiently share patient records and communicate with their patients electronically.
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APA citation
- Khaliq, A. A., & Mwachofi, A. K. (2013). The Impact of Electronic Medical Records on Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety: Weight of Evidence or Wait for Evidence? International Journal of Social Sciences, II(2), 33–43.