ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS: THE WONDERS AND THE WORRIES

The advancement of technology in the medical field within the United States and around the world has been the story of a remarkable achievement in advancing diagnostic and treatment capabilities, but concomitantly also greatly increased the cost of providing care and the risks of legal liability. A critical component of technological advancement in the healthcare field is electronic health records (EHRs). EHRs have provided a great many opportunities for improving how medical records are maintained, stored, and shared. EHRs unfortunately also have increased physician frustration and burnout rate, increased risks of data security breaches and privacy violations, and provided a general lack of interoperability between EHR systems. The “wonder and worries” of EHRs are discussed in this paper, along with ideas for EHR systems improvement. The authors recommend that hospitals and healthcare organizations strive to achieve certification from the Office of the National Coordinator – Authorized Testing and Certification Body, develop effective encryption of data, utilize best-practice password protection, and maximize the use of audit logs. Further, the human connection aspects of the clinical experience need to be kept at the forefront, and physicians should be helped in this goal using medical scribes and software programs that help physicians avoid burnout related to EHR demands. There are reasons for cautious optimism that the myriad promised benefits of electronic health records can yet be realized for physicians and other clinicians, their patients, and society as a whole.