Implementation Challenges of EHR System

EHR system is the opportunity of the future for healthcare facilities. Now people are less and less willing to go to hospitals and receive written referrals. Also, against the backdrop of COVID-19, this activity has escalated. This began developing systems that can be used for disease monitoring and data entry. With the help of Electronic Health Records, doctors will have data on all the diseases of the patient, which will have a good effect on the effectiveness of treatment in the future.

What is an EHR System?

EHR is a system that allows you to have patient data in electronic format. The EHR database may contain information about the patient’s primary data, previous and chronic diseases, prescribed pills, etc. the system also enters data on visits to the doctor and what diagnoses were made. That is, EHR is an electronic version of your medical card. It is stored in the cloud and can be used by different doctors if needed.

EHR system development involves the creation of a unique platform where there may be data about the patient. All data is encrypted, which reduces the risk of being hacked. When developing EHR, developers should pay special attention to system testing and integration with other applications. For example, the EHR system can be combined with remote patient monitoring. So when developing, you need to understand that multifunctionality is an advantage.

Pros and Cons of EHR System

To objectively assess how rational it is to use and create an EHR system, you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

They are saving time. With the help of already prepared templates for filling in patient data, you can significantly reduce the time of admission. So the doctor can quickly fill in the information about the appointment, then the patient can easily find out which medicines to buy. Registration examples: date, the purpose of the visit, complaints, manipulations, prescriptions, drugs, and comments on the appointment. This is a rather primitive design, but it will be easy to fill in the admission data even with it.

Patient involvement. When creating this system, patients will be more involved in treatment and can independently fill in data on symptoms and well-being. This will relieve doctors and allow doctors to pay more attention to critical cases.

Disadvantages

Hacks. This is the factor that strongly influences the beginning of EHR software development. If the encryption is insufficient, patient data can be easily hacked. That’s why the provider should take testing seriously. It is also worth downloading updates more often so that it would be more difficult for hackers to hack into the system because altered patient data can lead to their death.

Challenges of Implementing an EHR System

Several obstacles need to be passed to launch the EHR. Some are related to development, and others to the human factor. Although there are a few shortcomings in EHR, there are many challenges.

1. Implementation cost. It is estimated that issuing your EHR will cost between US$15,000 and US$70,000. This money includes not only the implementation of software but also the training of personnel and the implementation of their system in medical institutions. It also includes taxes that need to be paid.
2. I doubt the EHR System. Several doctors and medical institutions do not want to use electronic cards and consider them unsafe.
3. Learning and adaptation to the EHR will take a long time, and not everyone wants to experience this experience. Training of medical personnel can be delayed for quite a long time. Also, if the EHR is not adapted to the already existing framework, then the use of the EHR will not be comfortable. Because of this, the number of consumers may decrease.
4. There is little healthcare software development company that can provide a quality system. The performing company must know what security measures must be brought in, so the product is not hacked.
5. Technical support problems. Small medical clinics that do not have their software and no specific team that can service the system may face such a problem. Also, the lack of suitable equipment can significantly affect the cost of implementing an EHR.
6. The application release process can be delayed if you do everything yourself. Outsourced software testing services can help. Companies can use particular methods in testing that can speed up the process of releasing a product.

Conclusion

The EHR system is a possibility of the future, and you just need to understand this system’s nuances. EHR is evolving, and the chance that people will use the application is relatively high. Over time, most of the barriers to installing an EHR will disappear, so people will increasingly use an EHR. In EHR, making a mistake and making an incorrect diagnosis is challenging. The development of such software now is an investment in the future.