Electronic Health Records: Benefits and Drawbacks

Over the past decade, the world has seen heavy computerization across all sectors. From people booking airline tickets online to others pursuing online degrees. Despite these advancements, majority of patients still receive handwritten prescriptions and only a little percentage can even be able to book an appointment with a physician through an email. To ensure the health sector does not lag behind, it is important to adopt the use of Electronic Health Records commonly referred to as EHRs in order to improve the services provided. It is however important to assess the benefits and drawbacks behind adoption of EHRs. Among the benefits EHRs will bring to the health sector include clinical benefits; these clinical benefits include improved quality of the services provided and reduced medical errors. They also contribute to organizational outcomes leading to both financial and operational benefits. EHRs also contribute to positive societal outcomes including the ability to conduct complex research and also improved population health. It is however important to understand that EHRs also have their own drawbacks. Among them includes the huge acquisition costs which have to be incurred by any health institution which wants to adopt and use EHRs. The ongoing maintenance costs and the disruption of workflow (in case of power outage), learning and adapting to the new system also contribute to temporary losses of productivity.

My opinion about the adoption and implementation of EHRs in our health institutions is solely based on the fact that, as technology advances and the world becomes a global village, there is need for the health sector to move from the conservative notion where everything has to be done in handwritten form to electronic, where everything can be done and communicated electronically. This will lead to saving of time, space and cost. For example, if someone offering financial assistance to a sick family member is far from the hospital where the patient is being attended to, he or she can communicate directly with the physician through emails on the condition and progress of the patient, and even what needs to be purchased without the necessity of the person being physically available at the hospital. It is however important to take caution when using EHRs as rogue and careless practioneers can give wrong prescriptions. For example, a stressed doctor or nurse can decide to copy and paste previous prescription saved in an electronic device and offer to unsuspecting patient. This can happen, if he or she feels that time available is not enough to serve the patient or there are many patients who need to be attended. It is important to understand that adoption of EHRs will lead to some people within the health sector losing their jobs. As a result, these people can discourage the adoption of electronic records in the institution so as to remain in their current positions for longer. This leads to low productivity of the employees.

In conclusion, it has been noted that advances in technology has led to heavy computerization across every sector. In the health sector, this has been through the adoption of Electronic Health Records. The adoption of these electronic records has both benefit and drawbacks. Among the benefits indicated include saving of time and money and also accuracy in the prescriptions offered. On the other hand, some of the drawbacks include the high acquisition costs that have to be incurred and low productivity experienced during the adoption period. It is therefore important to take everything into consideration and the adoption and use of EHRs should be embraced in the departments within the health sector where they fit best.