Data or record is important and the health industry is not an exception to this. When it comes to data management in healthcare, it becomes essentially important to know the right way to do this. Recording and data management is important for the operational efficiency of any healthcare facility.
Technology revolution and healthcare
Gone are the times when we used to have piles of patients’ files in the storage rooms. With things going digital, we no longer depend upon manual processes and use a different approach. A technology revolution is particularly important in this regard. Every day we see and adapt to these changes without even noticing.
We see healthcare facilities using Hospital Management Software for better management and to enhance their working efficiency. These management systems alongside other technology interventions are changing the face of healthcare. This technology revolution has also affected the record-keeping side.
EMR VS. EHR
When it comes to the fusion of medical records and technology, we often come across terms like EHR and EMR. EMR refers to electronic medical records while EHR is electronic health records. Both of these terms are often used interchangeably but hold quite different meanings.
If you also wonder what these two are about, the following article can be the perfect read for you.
Some of the key differences between EMR and EHR include:
1- Coverage
This is one of the major differences between the two. EMR holds a patient’s details or records for a single medical practice. While in contrast, EHR refers to the patient’s record that is mutually shared between different medical facilities. This record can be shared between different practices irrespective of the medical specialty or geographical location. So, EHR is broader and covers more aspects. So, you can say EMR is narrow but EHR provides a relatively broader picture of a patient’s health.
2- Healthcare decision making
Healthcare decision-making depends upon the data available in a certain practice. This data presents a clear picture of a patient’s health status. Knowing about the details can help physicians through it. EMR gives a narrower picture of health data while EHR is a broader thing alongside integrated. Integrated data in EHR can help with better decision-making regarding a patient’s health. However, in the case of EMR data remains limited to a single healthcare facility that affects the timely healthcare decision making.
3- Accessibility
Data accessibility is the next key difference between EMR and EHR. Because EHR is integrated data and tracks patients’ health progress in real-time. This makes EHR data available on multiple points resulting in better accessibility. However, EMR is restricted when it comes to accessing the data.
4- Functionality
EHR being the broader picture is more functional than EMR. Being multifunctional, EHR is certainly more valuable than EMR. EHRs if integrated properly cover all the aspects of patient health and provide associated benefits as well. From the management of healthcare facilities to better documentation, medical analytics, and management of results, EHR is much more helpful in this regard. In contrast to it, EMR is quite limited and doesn’t cover all these things. This is one key difference between both.
5- Data security
Data breaches are certainly an important challenge of digital healthcare and this is one key difference between EMR and EHR. Because EHR tracks a patient’s progress in real-time and sees how the patient’s medical history moves through and health status gets changed.
EHR is more valuable when it comes to having a better idea of a patient’s health status but due to more and more availability of data on different points data breaches serve as an important threat. IN contrast, EMR contains limited information and due to limited accessibility, there are certainly fewer chances of data breaches in it.
Bottom Line!
Record or more precisely electronic records are one of the most important elements of any healthcare setup. Proper management of this data is considered to be important when it comes to the right decision-making regarding a patient’s health. EMR and EHR are both forms of patient records and offer many potential benefits.
However, both are certainly different in many aspects, and understanding the difference between both is the key to making wise choices. Whether you choose EMR or EHR, make sure you consult the service providers and let them know about your specific requirements so they can come up with an option best suited to your healthcare facility’s requirements.
