With the advent of digital databases used to store vast amounts of medical information, health histories, and vital statistics for millions of patients across America, a concept known on the local level as electronic medical recordkeeping (EMR), and collectively forming the electronic health record (EHR), the delivery of healthcare services has undergone a rapid transformation during the last two decades. The traditional clipboard and paper chart carried by physicians and nurses, which held an often indecipherable maze of pencil-etched recordings made throughout a patient's stay, has since been replaced in many modern healthcare facilities by the iPad and other handheld computer tablet devices. Banks of unwieldy filing cabinets, each storing hundreds of individual patient files, have vanished in the private practices and doctor's offices of America's healthcare providers, with a simple server system allowing for the storage of millions of files on a single hard drive. Through the implementation of advanced software systems, diagnostic tools have now become intuitive, scanning through a patient's entire archived medical record and searching for connections that may ordinarily escape the consideration of a single doctor handling dozens of cases concurrently.
Predicting the Future of Medical Health Records
Predict the form and function of medical health records in 2030 (provide specific example to support your response).
With the advent of digital databases used to store vast amounts of medical information, health histories, and vital statistics for millions of patients across America, a concept known on the local level as electronic medical recordkeeping (EMR), and collectively forming the electronic health record (EHR), the delivery of healthcare services has undergone a rapid transformation during the last two decades. The traditional clipboard and paper chart carried by physicians and nurses, which held an often indecipherable maze of pencil-etched recordings made throughout a patient's stay, has since been replaced in many modern healthcare facilities by the iPad and other handheld computer tablet devices. Banks of unwieldy filing cabinets, each storing hundreds of individual patient files, have vanished in the private practices and doctor's offices of America's healthcare providers, with a simple server system allowing for the storage of millions of files on a single hard drive. Through the implementation of advanced software systems, diagnostic tools have now become intuitive, scanning through a patient's entire archived medical record and searching for connections that may ordinarily escape the consideration of a single doctor handling dozens of cases concurrently.
Even with the array of tangible improvements made during the last decade by the adoption of EMR and EHR methodologies, many information technology experts believe the most influential advancements have yet to come, citing the almost exponential rate of diffusion to conclude that "under current conditions, EHR adoption will reach its maximum market share in 2024 in the small practice setting" (Ford, Menachemi & Phillips, 2006). One need only look to the telecommunications market to observe the rapid rate of change that technological advancement can exert on a previously static industry, as smartphones and wireless technology have become nearly ubiquitous, making landline telephones, answering machines, and other staples nearly obsolete. The advantages afforded by wireless internet access, and the concept of server-less "cloud" computing which has evolved in its wake, appear to be the most likely innovation to effect EMR and EHR practices in the next two decades. Indeed, the use of cloud computing within the study of human genomics has demonstrated the clear advantages of this method of data storage and retrieval, with many experts stating that "alternative computing architectures, in particular cloud computing environments, may help alleviate this increasing pressure and enable fast, large-scale, and cost-effective comparative strategies going forward" (Wall et al., 2010). It stands to reason that, if the current rate of technological advancement and implementation holds steady through 2030, a modern hospital at that time would be completely interconnected with surrounding healthcare providers, allowing nurses and physicians to aggregate and interpret data from pharmaceutical prescriptions, medical check-ups, and other diagnostic data. At this time, cloud computing technology will have likely replaced traditional serve farms as the preferred mode of data storage, making the process of assessing a patient's health nearly instantaneous upon their entrance to the facility. For regular patients suffering from chronic conditions, the use of electronic bracelets or similar devices may allow the check-in process to be eliminated entirely, with patients walking through a scanner and having their pertinent data instantly transmitted to a waiting staff of nurses and physicians who are already familiarized with his or her symptoms.
2.) Describe the most likely impediments to health care information access in 2030 and make at least two (2) recommendations to avert those impediments that can be implemented now.
With any rapid technological advancement there will always be members of the prior generation who are either unable, or unwilling, to adapt their preconceived notions to current conditions. Today, every nurse and doctor has experienced the dismay of an elderly patient who may be unaccustomed to modern healthcare technology like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, or even iPad-equipped medical charts. In the year 2030, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of patients will have spent their lives using computers and similar tools, so this issue may not be as pronounced, but there will always be patients who are resistant to adopting modern technology. To mitigate this concern, healthcare providers are likely to take a proactive role, offering educational programs online and through local universities to help familiarize the general public with the latest innovations in healthcare delivery. The true benefits of EMR and EHR practice require the interactive participation of patients and healthcare providers alike, and by empowering patients to take control over the course of their own treatment and recovery, doctors and nurses can achieve a higher level of patient care through a reduced expenditure of resources.
The threat of personal privacy being sacrificed in the name of increased efficiency will also be a concern for patients in 2030, judging by the chorus of complaints already being raised as the initial implementation of EMR and EHR takes place. Unless patients are confident that their private medical data will be secured, they will never feel completely comfortable divulging sensitive information that may be crucial to their overall healthcare outcomes. By the year 2030, one would hope that security measures will have been improved to the point that a patient can volunteer any number of facts about their daily habits or medical histories, while knowing full well that only their physician and nursing staff will ever access the data.
3.) Discuss the single most significant "health care bake in" you could embed into organizational workflows and the probable impact it could eventually have.
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