Answer 3 for DNP 805 Discuss the usefulness of the electronic health record (EHR) and its impact on patient safety and quality outcomes
Electronic Health Records (EHR) have made a significant impact on health care today. The EHR has contributed to improving patient safety and patient services and has ultimately reduced costs in many organizations (Boonstra et al., 2021). One of the benefits of the EHR is accessing patient information such as history, treatments, and vital information pertinent to the patient’s health (Anderson, 2022). In addition, the EHR provides an updated version of the patient information compared to paper charting, which may require additional time spent verifying the most recent data. Another benefit of the EHR is efficiently gathering data essential to evidence-based research studies, quality improvement projects, and overall research findings. Data from the EHR has been a game-changer in healthcare because it enables the potential for research that can ultimately improve quality outcomes and patient safety (Boonstra et al., 2021). The EHR has also made a significant change to the workflow of providers such as physicians, nurses, case managers, and other staff members. The EHR has helped providers improve productivity and enable more time to spend with patients (Anderson, 2022). One of the disadvantages of the EHR is the ability for patient information to be compromised. Organizations are making great efforts to avoid this by establishing network protections and encryptions.
References
Anderson, R. (2022). Effects of an electronic health record tool on team communication and patient mobility: A 2-year follow-up study. Critical Care Nurse, 42(2), 23–31.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.4037/ccn2022385
Boonstra, A., Jonker, T. L., van Offenbeek, M. A. G., & Vos, J. F. J. (2021). Persisting workarounds in
Electronic Health Record System use: Types, risks and benefits. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 21(1), 183.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s12911-021-01548-0
