The Indian healthcare system is quickly transitioning to a digital healthcare system, and Electronic Medical Records (EMR), and Electronic Health Records (EHR), Personal Health Records (PHR) are essential aspects of these approaches.
The National Digital Health Mission has already been initiated by the Indian government (NDHM). The purpose is to build a national ecosystem for digital health that promotes universal health care in an effective, economical, timely, accessible, and safe way. This builds the requirement for EMR, EHR and PHR, and associated technologies that can record and preserve them. EMR, EMR, and PHR may be stored using various technologies and standards on different platforms
Let us make you understand more in detail about EMR, EHR and PHR.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a form of health information technology that allows a healthcare provider to keep track of all patient diagnoses and treatments. EMRs have digitalised versions of paper medical charts documenting a patient's medical history.
These solutions, typically transactional, are used to record a patient's medical history, diagnosis, prescriptions, immunisation dates, and other details about their current course of treatment.
EMR software or solutions are the technology government programmes, and healthcare providers use to keep such health information. EMRs are more practice-centric. Many healthcare facilities and providers use EMRs to maintain vital information about your health and well-being.
What is EHR?
The term "Electronic Health Record" (EHR) refers to a collection of patient-related data that is electronically recorded. Numerous information on patient health has been produced because of the advancements in screening procedures, medical imaging, and diagnostics. The best way to improve patient care is using electronic health record systems. These days, the function of EHR is expanding and digitising in healthcare as more patient data is digitising and more customers seek mobile access to health records. The EHR structure and features have consistently been seen as a reliable way to enhance medical care delivery methods. Using an EHR, you may easily communicate patient information from your office to the specialists assisting with your patient's treatment. Additionally, they guarantee that no data is lost if your patient relocates and needs to find a new primary care physician. EHRs are very patient-centric because of these features.
Electronic Health Records (EHR) assist you to:
Increase the quality of care
Enhance productivity and efficiency
Share the patient data
Improve charting and document keeping
Grow revenue
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
What is PHR?
A personal health record (PHR) is an electronic app that allows users to retain and manage their health information and the information of individuals they have permission to handle in a safe, secure, and confidential setting.
Although the information held in a PHR varies from person to person and from system to system, a typical record might contain the following information:
Information on appointments with medical professionals
Allergies
Family background
Vaccinations
Information on any ailments or disorders
Records of hospitalisation and a list of prescriptions taken
Details regarding any operations or procedures that undertook
Differences between EMR, EHR & PHR
The usage of digital health record-keeping is expanding every year, yet there are a few differences between EMR, EHR, and PHR when defining them!
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Healthcare professionals utilise electronic medical records (EMR) to record, monitor and manage healthcare services. EMRs support the patient's electronic medical record in inpatient and outpatient settings.
They are records of an individual's health that can be made, gathered, managed, and consulted by qualified medical professionals working for a single healthcare institution.
An EHR covers all of a patient's data with every medical institution where they have files, but an EMR simply deals with a specific patient's records with one clinic.
An EMR system, to be more precise, is a digital version of what were once paper records.
It mainly provides information about a patient's treatment at a particular hospital, clinic, or even a medical event like a procedure.
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
An electronic health record (EHR) is a safe, integrated collection of a person's interactions with the healthcare system. It offers a complete digital view of a patient's medical background.
EHR covers every medical facility where patients have data for all their information.
It is a longitudinal electronic patient health record created by one or more encounters in any venue where care is provided. Patient demographics, progress notes, issues, prescriptions, vital signs, previous medical history, vaccines, laboratory data, and radiology reports and images are all included in this data.
The EHR can provide a detailed record of a clinical patient encounter and directly or indirectly assist other care-related tasks through interaction, such as evidence-based decision-making, quality management, and outcomes monitoring.
Personal Health Record (PHR)
PHR stands for personal health records, which patients have gathered and maintained for their records and health management.
Here, the patient is in charge of updating and maintaining the accuracy of all data.
Such data may include the patient's medical history, including relevant info from earlier visits, surgical operations, medical and lab reports and data, and even family medical history.
Benefits of using EMR, EHR and PHR software
EMR benefits
EMR systems offer many significant benefits to both healthcare professionals and patients, including:
Minimising and avoiding medical mistakes
Increasing the effectiveness of routine tasks
Improved staff communication and care coordination
Faster and more effective holistic treatment
Providing clinics with thorough records on a patient's medical background, upcoming appointments and procedures, and payment details.
Information is more secure in an EMR system.
Medical records can be kept in less space because digital data uses far less space than filing cabinets.
EHR Benefits
EHRs assist providers in improving patient care management and delivery through:
Giving patients complete, accurate, and current information at the time of care
Facilitating quick patient record access for more coordinated, effective care
Providing patients and other professionals with access to electronic data in a secure manner
Assisting medical professionals in safer care delivery, medical error reduction, and patient diagnosis
Increasing convenience of healthcare, as well as interactions and communication between patients and providers
Improving patient data security and privacy, aiding healthcare practitioners
Increasing productivity and achieving work-life balance
Helping providers in enhancing efficiency and achieving their business goals
PHR Benefits
A PHR can be created by doctors, pharmacists, and hospitals, focusing on allowing patients to manage their information as needed. Their benefits include:
PHRs ensure patients always have access to their health information during an emergency or when travelling.
PHRs can enhance care coordination and help patients manage information from diverse providers.
PHRs' direct, secure communication channels can help patients and doctors communicate more effectively.
PHRs assist healthcare organisations by reducing administrative expenses.
PHRs can aid in better managing the patient's care and facilitating communication among caregivers, including family members.
With the ability to track health across time, PHRs enable patients to engage more actively in their healthcare.
Future of the EMR Industry
The global Electronic Medical Records Market is expected to reach about 76.0 billion. The growing use of EMRs by both small and large hospitals and clinics is a key driver driving the global market for EMRs.
Cloud-based EMRs adoption: The rising adoption of cloud-based EMRs, which provide safe, dependable, and scalable storage, is driving EMR to expand.
Artificial Intelligence introduction in Data Processing: AI-based EMRs will be able to diagnose diseases more quickly by reducing the need for human intervention, enhancing patient outcomes and reducing costs associated with duplicate work and manual processes.
Robotic Process Automation Demand: Through robotic automation across many locations, RPA helps achieve the necessary accuracy by doing away with the necessity for manual entry.
Patient Outcomes and Care improvement: With the advent of AI-based EMRs, diseases will be categorised more quickly and with less human interaction, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs associated with manual entry and redundant jobs.
Future of the EHR Industry
The EHR market is expected to produce $30.4 billion in revenue by 2023. The future of healthcare could be radically transformed using EHR.
Adoption of Voice Recognition: EHR systems will benefit greatly from voice recognition technology as it enables clinicians to enter information and patient data without using their hands.
Adopting agile approaches: By reducing implementation costs, an expedited deployment technique can assist healthcare providers in saving money.
Automation: By utilising technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning, EHRs can speed up data entry. Integration and interoperability: EHR software must have interoperability with scheduling, claims processing, billing, and lab software integrations.
Integration and interoperability: EHR software must have interoperability with scheduling, claims processing, billing, and lab software integrations.
To Conclude
PHR, EHR, and EMR differ primarily in terms of end users, information storage methods, and patient data-sharing capabilities.
EMR is appropriate for maintaining healthcare information by medical specialists within a single department.
EHR enables access to healthcare records by numerous medical experts from various departments.
PHR makes it simple for patients to keep tabs on their health throughout illnesses or the healing process.
