Why are Electronic Health Records better than Paper Medical Records?

Halemind Electronics Health Records

Even though 89 percent of all hospitals now depend on Electronic Health Records (EHR) to store and manage patient information, there are still plenty of healthcare experts and clinicians who rely on traditional paper-based record-keeping systems. While some are resistant to adopt new technologies, others cite EHR implementation costs to be the reason for not upgrading their record management systems. Among them, there are also doctors who simply prefer the familiarity and comfort of using paper to maintain patient charts.

However, the downsides of paper medical records cannot be ignored. They do not just hamper the progress of healthcare institutes but also lead to inaccurate diagnosis and treatments.

Modern Electronic Health Records, on the other hand, offer significant advantages to an organisation. They are equipped with cloud technology to help healthcare providers solicit improved quality in services and enhance operational efficiency. They also provide a secure platform for physicians to instantly share patient information with fellow practitioners.

Here are a few unique benefits of using cloud-based, connected EHR systems.

1. They allow access to authorized users only.
2. They enable better coordination between clinicians handling a patient’s health care.
3. Electronic Health Records are easier and quicker to access.
4. They ensure that a patient’s medical history is up-to-date and accurate.
5. Information can be shared via end-to-end encrypted channels, preventing tampering or abuse of any kind.
6. They facilitate accuracy in the process of diagnosis and prescription.
7. Electronic records streamline communication between patients and health care providers.
8. They significantly reduce the possibility of medical errors.
9. They reduce paperwork, and legible documentation of all health care processes.
10. They contribute to the overall efficiency, convenience, security and reliability.

Electronic Health Records vs Paper Medical Records

1. Electronic Health Records benefit from strong encryption and robust security practices

• An electronic-based system ensures that sensitive information concerning a patient’s health doesn’t fall in the wrong hands. Since it is backed by a strong password policy, only authorised users with the right credentials have access to these records. There is also no possibility of misfiling which can seriously jeopardise a patient’s health.
• Paper records are easier to duplicate, alter or tamper with. It’s also tougher to detect any such discrepancies where unauthorised modifications can be made by anyone to deceive the system.

Electronic Health Records, on the other hand, are password protected and require an authorised user to login to the system. Therefore, patients charts, prescriptions, and documents are secure and authentic.

• With Paper Medical Records, it’s not possible to determine who the last person was to access a patient’s records or why they did so. Without any audit trails to figure this out, it leaves the system open to security risks, and underhand alterations and duplications.

Electronic Health Records make it efficient to safeguard patients’ charts from unauthorised access. There is an effective system in place to conduct audit trials and determine who accessed the records last, and what their motive was for doing so. Anyone trying to unofficially procure these records stands to suffer consequences which is enough incentive to prevent them from proceeding to do so.

• Paper-based records can be substituted, duplicated, and shared with illegitimate parties. Their tangible nature allows them to be photocopied, scanned or faxed, exposing it to a world or security risks. This makes it harder for organisations to adhere to privacy standards and ensure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance which dictates uncompromising protection of patients’ information.

An example of this is the $2.15 million fine that was levied to Jackson Health Systems in Miami for losing 756 patients’ PHIs or protected health information in 2013. Discrepancies such as these can be easily avoided with EHR systems.

• There is little scope for accountability when it comes to unauthorized adjustments and breach of security and confidentiality policies, leaving healthcare institutes open to lawsuits.

2. Electronic Health Records are available enable 24/7 across devices, enabling faster diagnosis

There is no set format for maintaining paper records; it differs from institution to another, and clinician to clinician. This inconsistency in records can hinder the accessibility of a patient’s records in crucial, time-sensitive situations. This is where electronic records can prove to be a boon for healthcare services.

Due to their 24/7 availability across devices, patient’s records or follow-up reports can be shared instantly with different operating physicians via the cloud. You don’t need to rely on couriers or mailing services; it can be done electronically via end-to-end encrypted channels.

This allows medical professionals to analyse patient information comprehensively and provide speedy and accurate diagnosis.

3. Electronic Health Records enable accessibility even in worst-case scenarios

• In case of a fire emergency, a natural calamity like earthquake or flood striking, or an unfortunate happenstance that leads to partial or complete destruction of medical resources, a country’s healthcare system stands to suffer a violent setback. However, with an EHR-based system, you can rest assured that at least your patient health records are secure.

Electronic Health Records maintain an offsite backup that can restore confidential data and ensure that an organisation is better equipped to get back on its feet. A paper-based system, on the other hand, would make it harder to recover from the disaster, thereby, halt the quick progress of an organisation.

• Patient health records can be leveraged to achieve nefarious goals if they are prone to data breaches, unlawful vandalism or criminal misdemeanors. It was estimated that data breaches would further worsen the financial conditions in 2020 and cost the healthcare industry a whopping US$ 4 billion.

However, switching to electronic-based systems is the quickest fix to prevent ransomware attacks. You can access data backups and erase the existing records in the system to discredit hackers’ demands. This is not possible with paper-based records.

4. EHR systems do not require physical storage space and are eco-friendly

• Paper-based systems require a storage facility like a water-house to house patient data files. This doesn’t just take up excess space and resources but is also detrimental to the environment. Electronic Health records demonstrate increased efficiency when it comes to storage space, resources and environmental sustainability.
• The quality of paper records deteriorates with time. It could either be due to environmental factors or excessive usage and handling. EHR systems, on the other hand, are immune to quality decays of any kind.

5. Electronic Health Records are legible and save time

• Illegibility in healthcare documentation has been a cause of concern since time immemorial. Deciphering takes up time and sometimes leads to erroneous judgement. This can be avoided with the clear and legible penmanship of computer processors. In this manner, electronic health records do not just save time but also avoid room for errors.

The way forward

Even though electronic health records can benefit from improvements like streamlined data entry processes, increased transparency, and better monitoring practices, they are well-positioned to be the prefered system of record management in the healthcare industry in the future.