It is a shocking fact that medical errors are a major cause of deaths that need to be addressed by both the healthcare providers and the government. While the first concern of healthcare providers is always providing the best-quality care to the patients, they are also human and they may err. Mistakes involving treatments and medications prove to be dangerous and even fatal at times. One thing that can minimize the medical errors is the efficient use of the electronic health records.
It is established that patients receive better medical care when their healthcare providers have full access to their accurate information in the form of electronic health records. With effective EHR solutions, the healthcare providers improve their capabilities in diagnosing diseases and reducing medical errors that prove to be costly for the organization, their revenues and the public health in general. Studies have shown that more than 3/4th of the physicians who are implementing EHR solutions and meaningful use are reporting that EHRs make patient records readily available at any point of time thereby allowing them to deliver better care.
How do EHRs aid in reducing medical errors? EHRs provide reliable access to patient health records that provide a comprehensive picture of the patient’s situation and help in faster and accurate diagnosis. Effective EHR solutions don’t provide just data; they provide data in a comprehensive manner that helps to make timely and correct decisions. This can be understood further with these points.
- An effective EHR system maintains a patient’s records including medications and allergies to trigger caution automatically when a new medication with potential adverse reactions is prescribed.
- The information stored in the EHR system helps the doctor in the emergency department to identify a patient’s allergies that could be life-threatening and provide treatment and medication accordingly even when the patient is unconscious.
- EHR systems provide alerts and reminders for clinical visits.
- Efficient utilization of EHR systems enables evidence-based decisions in providing quality care.
- Systematic maintenance of EHRs helps in enhanced research and monitoring of clinical care improvement.
On the overall, efficient and effective use of EHRs can reduce medical errors and help in providing the best quality healthcare. Avontix is an EHR solutions provider in Hyderabad that caters to the needs of ASCs.
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