Time is flying, yet it is dragging....that make sense? lol Seems like the weeks are flying by but I am pretty overwhelmed with 6 classes and don't see a light at the end of my tunnel, but I will get through it. :o)
This week in our learning, we got to have a bit of fun. We had a scavenger hunt to do as an assignment, but it was not hunt any scavenger hunt....we had to do it with the help of virtual lab. What this entailed was having questions that needed answers about certain (fictional) patients. We had to find them and then find the information we needed to answer the questions. When I started this, it was not the easiest task, but once I figured out my way around the virtual lab, it was actually quite fun! It was not hard to do, it was just the not knowing where anything was at the start of the assignment. When I completed my assignment, I was very thankful for EHR's. Every now and then I would click on a link that would bring up a copy of a paper record and my heart would sink thinking I needed to decipher something on that, but I didn't (thankfully). The more I learn about EHR's, the more thankful I am that I am going to miss most of the paper-based records.
Speaking of that, we also had discussions about EHR's, the paper-based records, and the hybrid records and the pros and cons of each of them. To be honest, I do not think there are very many "pros" for paper-based records. They are hard to read if handwriting is illegible, they are not very secure, they can only be used by one person at a time, they can be damaged or destroyed via water, fire, or mishandling, and when a test has been ordered, there is a much longer wait for the results, to name a few of them.
EHR's have mostly pros--they are computer based records that are input from start to finish (admission or encounter through discharge or completion of office visit). Everything is very easy to read, it can be changed and corrected, tests or lab results can be easily searched and located, many users can use the same record at once, lab tests are entered so the physician can see the result immediately, they are more secure, and the list goes on. Some of the cons are incorrect entries, numbers being transposed, and a system crash within the facility.
Hybrid records are a mix of EHR's and paper-based records. A hybrid record is the result of the changing from paper-based to EHR. The paper-based records are actually scanned into electronic form so they can be easily searched and located, but they cannot be altered or corrected within the system. You would have to change the paper record and re-scan it into the electronic form for a change or corrections. Another con is the record is now in different places. If every single document fro the paper file does not get scanned in then it is not the complete record and something could be overlooked or the healthcare provider would have to locate the paper-based record to look at that. However, finding a document that has been scanned in could save a great deal of time instead of have to sift through a stack of papers in a paper-based file looking for a lab report that may not be in order.
I am glad to be stepping into the healthcare industry when such great changes are taking place.
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