Taking medical records into the digital age

Sreevidya Krishna | IBM Developer Works | November 30, 2010

...With a growing population and an increase in the number of patients, the pressure on doctors and hospital staff has increased drastically in the last decade. It has become very difficult for a physician to track a patient's medical history (including past visit information, lab results, previous medications, and drug allergies) through a traditional system. It is not uncommon for patients to have labs repeated because of improper lab records.

The solution is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that allows doctors to find and store information instantly. This technology has changed the patient-physician relationship dramatically over the last several years. An EMR system helps physicians and hospitals function in a smoother, safer, and more secure manner, allowing hospital personnel to retrieve and update the information of any patient with a click of a button. The doctors and administration can then concentrate more on the patient's problem than on the patient's records and administrative tasks....