Gone are the days when doctors had to struggle through folders and bunches of papers to find crucial information about medical history of a patient. Enter 21st Century , Electronic Health records are replacing and helping efficient healthcare delivery .
An EHR ,a digital version of the traditional paper-based charts used by doctors to record medical information for an individual is now a known entity. The EMR represents a medical record within a single facility, such as a doctor’s office or a clinic. What is still not well understood is the differentiation between EMR and EHR’S and how it can affect population health outcomes. This is what differentiates EHR’s Or Electronic health records from EHR’s which extend to cover medical and clinical records across multiple facilities ,providers, hospitals, and even across states. Moreover , EHRs help in easy sharing of patient’s medical information with other healthcare providers for the patient.
The wider angle – Brighter picture for population health
Electronic health records can affect positively the ability to improvise preventive health care in clinical settings across communities.
Public health notifiable disease reporting can be automated, requiring lesser manual entry. EHRs can also act as public health surveillance for chronic diseases, recording past medical history for future references and as records. After providers transmit public and population health data to public health officials, it can also be used by the government to plan Newer health schemes and releasing Medicines in primary health centres accordingly. Surveillance research can not only track changes in disease rates and emerging outbreaks but also explain the reasons for observed disparities and trends in this disease burden.
How can it help efficient health care delivery?
With electronic health information providers can be reminded when patients need immunizations or need to be sent reminders for preventive/follow-up care. Also a doctor can keep track of the patients health information across villages and towns where it can be recorded by health workers.
EHRs can also alert potentially dangerous drug interactions), verify medications and dosages (to ensure that pharmacists dispense the right drug), and reduce the need for potentially risky tests and procedures.
Why adopt EHR ?
Population health management encompasses assimilation of large amounts of health data from clinical screenings ,labs, ICD 9 or 10 coding, medication lists, vaccines, vital signs, etc.
The idea of a fully developed EHR is having a single record that includes all of a patient’s health information: that is up to date, complete, and accurate. This puts providers in a better position to work with their patients to make good decisions , to give the best possible care, whether during a routine check up or in a medical emergency.
For Public
For Public, public health-oriented EHR systems offer increased engagement with the health-care system, more ownership of data, and improved health outcomes.
For Clinicians
For clinicians, a public health-oriented EHR system could reduce the paperwork burden of public health reporting and provide decision support about community-level trends that could aid in diagnosis and treatment choice.
For Institutions
For Institution, automated reporting would reduce paperwork burdens and data input costs as a trend continues toward more reporting requirements
So to conclude ,the challenges in Implentation and extent of success of EHR’S cannot be overlooked but . But the Incentives for all stakeholders are aligned in improving the public health functionality of EHR systems.
Why Practice Social Distancing?
Amidst this lockdown, many are still asking the question about “Social Distancing”. As per the scientists, finding the cure or medicine for COVID-19 it may take about 12-18 months to find it. Hence. To prevent the spreading of this virus social distancing is the most effective way to do it.
Let's start by explaining what is social distancing, it is a conscious and deliberate choice of maintaining the distance of six feet from the people around us, to prevent the spreading of COVID-19.
To understand better the impact of it, here is a small visual to explain how the virus will spread if social distancing is not paid attention.
Social distancing is so effective right now that as an individual we all are contributing in the prevention of spreading this deadly virus.
There is another major concern that is coming into the picture with the rapid increase in the coronavirus patients. Hospitals around the world do not have enough resources to tackle this pandemic, there are limited numbers of healthcare facility in all the countries around the world.
The coronavirus outbreak in Italy has shown, the faster rate of the population getting infected by it and to tackle with it, there are not enough medical resources like hospital beds, ventilators and doctors. This will be challenging for the healthcare to save lives leading to exponential rise in number of deaths.
Hence, social distancing is the most effective way to "flatten the curve" or reduce the spread of this coronavirus.
What does flattening the curve means?
The researchers have projected a graph to understand the impact of the spreading of coronavirus against the number of hospital beds. Though this is a theoretical graph, it does show how quickly the capacity of healthcare can come crashing down which can make COVID-19 an epidemic, hard to deal with.
This curve indicates, if the same number of people are getting at a slower rate over a longer period of time, then it reduces the pressure on the healthcare system and making it easier to treat everyone, hence, a lesser number of deaths.
Therefore, just by taking small measures individually, like maintaining social distance, washing hands frequently, avoid going out in crowded places, and spend maximum time inside the house. We all can contribute a collective to fight against this deadly coronavirus.