What is EMR (Electronic Medical Record)?
EMR ( Electronic Medical Record ) is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital and doctor's surgery.
Evolution
1.The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) has been around since the late 1960‘s, when Larry Weed introduced the concept of the Problem Oriented Medical Record into medical practice.
2.Until then, doctors usually recorded only their diagnoses and the treatment they provided. Weed‘s innovation was to generate a record that would allow a third party to independently verify the diagnosis. In 1972, the Regenstreif Institute developed the first electronic medical record system. Although the concept was widely hailed as a major advance in medical practice, physicians did not flock to the technology.
3.In 1991, the Institute of Medicine, a highly respected think tank in the US recommended that by the year 2000, every physician should be using computers in their practice to improve patient care and made policy recommendations on how to achieve that goal.
4.However, in spite of pockets of use of EMR since the 1970‘s, mostly in government hospitals and a few visionary health institutions, EMR use has not taken off. It is estimated that EMR use is about 20% in the hospital sector in the US (less in Canada) and about 5% in clinics (probably about the same in Canada). In Canada, many large clinics have already implemented these technologies. However, the vast majority of physicians work in 1-3 physician practices, where the costs of implementing technology are prohibitive.
Advantages
1. Save space
2. The ability for all in a health care team to coordinate care
3. Save time
4. Less likely to create misunderstandings
Disadvantages
1. Significant learning curve.
2. Poor typist.
3. Not all hospitals and individual clinicians are using the same program.
4. Might be hacked and exploited by others.
