Better decisions and more instep heathcare with EHR
The world has been drastically altered by digital technology – smart phones, tablets, and web-enabled devices have changed our daily lives and the way we correspond and it’s the same for medicine, which is an information-rich enterprise.
A larger and more flawless flow of information within a digital health care infrastructure, shaped by electronic health records (EHRs), includes and leverages digital progress and can transform the way care is delivered and compensated, says Yohan Weerasinghe, Managing Director, Ace Technology (Pvt) Ltd, who has developed the first-ever EHR for doctors engaging in private practice, app.
“This is a digital version of storing patients’ health records that we developed with which they can sort and access related information in a secure manner. This is for doctors in private practice. At times a patient has to go to a particular doctor multiple times. In such an instance if the doctor has this patient’s records and profile at his fingertips, the process is faster, accurate and time efficient,” he told the Business Times.
He said this is mandatory in the West. “Most doctors maintain patients’ information in written format with records kept the same way which can be easily misplaced, lost or even destroyed. Administrative tasks such as form filling and bill request represent a significant percentage of health care costs and our EHR can replace all this,” Mr. Weerasinghe pointed out.
He added that as much as old records are hard to find, going through hundreds of files is cumbersome. “No patient likes to fill forms during each time they visit the doctor. Manual records reduce the efficiency of the doctor and such records put patient’s data confidentiality at risk.” He added that often patients forget to bring their records, which leads to a waste of time of the doctor and the patients and an EHR is an apt solution for this.
He added that most doctors are not ‘open’ to technology and that they are still trying to break this barrier. “Some young and middle-aged doctors are open to it, but this number is very small.”
Mr. Weerasinghe added that some 90 per cent of the doctors who engage in private practice don’t maintain records in a manner that’s easy to refer. “I have presently met more than 50 doctors and had telephone conversations with many more. This is how we came to khow that they maintain patients records manually.”
He added that most doctors ‘feel’ that writing is faster than typing which is a misconception. “Most doctors showed an unwillingness to learn electronic methods. We are aiming to show/teach them that electronic systems are much faster and efficient than the manual systems they use.”
Mr. Weerasinghe added that currently there are about 20 doctors who have adopted this system at present. He noted that access to big data (i.e. how many diabetes patients he/she has treated during the past year) is readily available which they can also use for reassured purposes.
Mr. Weerasinghe said that 79 per cent of doctors report that with an electronic health records’ system, their practice functions more efficiently and that it enhances data confidentially. “About 94 per cent of doctors report that their EHR makes records readily available at point of care and some 75 per cent of doctors report that their EHR allow them to deliver better patient care.”
He added that this system saves almost every single piece of patient information including medicine, allergies, history, demographics, counselling, problems, etc.