Why should people only learn about the status of their medical records when they really need urgent medical attention? It is good to note that a pool of data will always have errors and it is up to every one of us to check this vital data and make sure that everything is well. Every time a patient visits the hospital, information has to be taken and recorded for future reference. The doctors will always want to know your health history, because that is what will determine the actions to take in case of an emergency.

Digital Data Storage

With the advent of technology, data in hard copy formats has to be digitized in order to make a single electronic file of every patient. How could a patient know that the digitizers captured all the data if he or she does not confirm it from the hospital records? Hospitals need your support to straighten your records because this will assist you in receiving better quality services at a very short time. Just imagine how complicated it was for the registrar or nurse to move to the records room, spend time checking for your previous records so that you can be treated. The worst case scenario being that they could come back and inform you that your records cannot be traced, sending you plans to disarray because you needed to go through registration again so that your data can be captured again. Remember that your previous data is lost when such a conclusion is reached.

EMRs Pros and Cons

In general, it is good to compare how Electronic Medical Records benefit both the hospital and the patient. As pointed out, a patient previous data is very crucial when it comes to the treatment of chronic diseases or ailments that will require the history of hospital visits. Suppose the physician did not the record correctly, this will lead to a wrong treatment. Another scenario is where there might be a case of negligence on the side of the physician, if the procedure was not documented well, and then the patient will not have any prove that a mistake was done in the process of the treatment. This shows us how vital it is to check that the EHRs are up to date and reflecting how the patient has been treated up to that particular time.

The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services, is mandated to see that the EMRs are implemented accordingly. They are to secure and protect the information about patients and help in coordinating health care provision among all health and medical facilities.

Imagine how easy it can be when every health facility that you visit has your updated health information, and it can be accessed just by the click of a button.