LEVERAGING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS FOR BETTER PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES
Digital interventions have seeped into every aspect of human life including healthcare. In the last three decades, we have witnessed remarkable innovations and advancements that have reduced the burden of doctors and enhanced patient safety. The pandemic certainly brought to fore several pre-existing loopholes in the Indian healthcare system. However, it also accelerated the use of cutting-edge healthcare tools ranging from remote patient monitoring systems to electronic medical records (EMR). From providing personalised treatment routes and filtered medical information to embracing digital platforms for prescriptions, technology has made several parts of delivering patient care more feasible. For instance, EMR platforms like Healthplix provides clinical decision support aiding in seamless patient engagement and leading to better clinical outcome. Let us delve deeper into how medical professionals use these platforms to research and ensure that the care delivered is centric to patients and their needs.
Understanding Electronic Medical Records
EMR systems enable healthcare practitioners to maintain an electronic record of health-related information of a patient that can be accessed by clinicians and staff within one health care organization in person and remotely. EMR provides clinical decision support to healthcare practitioners in implementing insight-based clinical guidelines at the point of care. Referring to new and past test results of patients on a single click saves a healthcare professional’s time and helps them to make a more informed decision based on insights at the point of care. By making medical information related to a specific patient and disease available at the point of care, EMR systems are saving millions of lives. When doctors adopt EMR, they witness an explosion of digital clinical data for learning and analysis.
Remote Consultations and Minimising Medical Errors With EMR
The pandemic has provided doctors and patients an opportunity to rethink the way patient consultations are conducted. Remote consultations using the EMR platforms have become the new normal as these technologies are rendering risk-free services, especially to the older or vulnerable patients. Having an EMR in clinical set up not only leads to insight-based care, accurate diagnosis but also minimises clinical errors. This seismic shift in patient care has helped India to achieve its mission of providing healthcare to all. The digital connectivity of India is expected to grow from 15 percent in 2014 to 80 percent in 2034, with rural Internet users increasing by 58 percent annually. Moreover, as per a 15-country Future Health Index 2019 report by Royal Philips, the country leads in the adoption of digital health records with 76 percent of healthcare professionals using them in their practice.
The Need for Leveraging Digital Technologies like EMR for Better Patient Engagement
Digital tools have drastically changed the way patient care is delivered today and they are here to stay. At the same time, it is imperative to acknowledge that for the last 14 months healthcare providers are swamped with COVID-19 and NON-COVID patients and it is about time to provide them the latest technologies to deliver care. Digital technologies like EMR have become even more crucial as India aims to become a digitally empowered country. The Government of India in 2019, released National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) that leveraged the use of digital technologies to enhance healthcare economy in the country. The deployment of tools that aid insightbased decision making would be the most promising way of achieving this goal. There is a need to spread awareness about the benefits of going paperless and minimising clutter that delays patient care.