Computer-Based Patient Records

Electronic Medical Records(EMR) have been implemented at the hospital that I work for and have been in place through our hospital based system since 2006 and implemented throughout the facility in 2007. Some of the benefits of these records are the convenience of having the patient's information available for you at all times, records are not lost or unavailable at times when they are really needed such as the case with paper charts. The EMR also contains pertinent information such as allergies, a past medical history, and a medication history just to name a few more benefits that are available for those directly involved in the patient's care to view. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, “an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that can be created, gathered, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within one health organization” (Agency for Health Care Research, 2013). There are challenges that include the possibility of security breaches and continued advancement of technology in the health care system itself. The solutions for these challenges include accountability for our own actions which include logging off of your computer before leaving your work station, never sharing your passwords, and never allowing a patient’s medical record to be in plain view for people that are not involved in the patient’s care, and keeping an open mind regarding staying current with technology. The standards in place for maintaining security is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996(HIPPA), and also being accountable for signing confidentiality disclosures which if breached you would face punishment. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “A major goal of the HIPPA Privacy Rule is to assure that the individuals’ health