Paper Example on Use of Electronic Health Record

The EHR used at my practicum site is PointClickCare ("Who We Are PointClickCare", 2017).

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Interview multiple users of the EHR. Ensure you interview people from three different departments to discover what benefits they receive from using the EHR. What effect do the users see with patient care?

I interviewed three colleagues from the following departments: Administration, Casualty, and Pharmacy. Below is a recap of their stand on PointClickCare.

Administration

From an administrative perspective, the hospital administrator was very content with the software. She provided me with records, trends, and graphs of patients before and after installation of the software and the difference was evident. She admitted that the software had played a significant role in increasing the number of patients they could handle in a day. She also said that it motivated the employees as it reduced their paperwork a great deal. On time management, she said that the software had reduced a lot of time wastage which would have otherwise been used in filling papers and transporting them from one department to another ("Hebrew Home of Greater Washington - Rockville, MD", 2017). The software also cut unnecessary commotion in the health care facility, and this was a great win. Finally, she commented on the reduced rate of document loss at the hospital and thus improving the health records system and making medical history available at all times.

Casualty

At the casualty department, I interviewed the consulting doctor, and he was pleased with the software. The doctor was impressed at how the software could give him information about a patient even before he/she walked in; this allowed the doctor some time to familiarize with the condition of the patient and possible diagnosis before consulting them. As a result, a lot of time was saved asking too many questions and unnecessary information that may or may not be helpful in the final diagnosis. The doctor was also able to access the patients history instead of asking them each and every time they visited the hospital which is monotonous and boring (Posada, 2017).

Pharmacy

The dispensing pharmacy was the most impressed by the software. She said that searching for the prescribed medicine in the different shelves and drawers is hectic especially when you have a case of an impatient patient. However, with this software, she was able to search and pack the prescribed meds before the patient got to her department.

Develop a concept map outlining the pros and cons of the current system for both staff and patients.

PROS/CONS

Time saving for both staff and patients. / The staff had to be oriented on using the software.

Easy access to patients information and history. / Power blackout can be fatal to the software.

Less cumbersome as compared to paperwork. / Prone to bugs and computer viruses.

Cut unnecessary movements from one department to another. / Loss of information in case of computer viruses and bugs.

Enhanced the protection of confidential medical information. / New staff had problems adapting to the system.

References

Hebrew Home of Greater Washington - Rockville, MD. (2017). Yelp. Retrieved 30 January 2017, from https://www.yelp.com/biz/hebrew-home-of-greater-washington-rockvillePosada, M. (2017).

The Increasing Importance of Software in Medical Devices - Pathfinder SoftwarePathfinder Software - Medical Software Development. Pathfindersoftware.com. Retrieved 30 January 2017, from http://pathfindersoftware.com/2015/09/the-increasing-importance-of-software-in-medical-devices-html/

Who We Are PointClickCare. (2017). Pointclickcare.com. Retrieved 30 January 2017, from https://pointclickcare.com/why-pointclickcare-senior-care-software/overview/