Ehr Pros And Cons

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Adoption of access to personal health information through the electronic health records (EHR) in Canada has been very slow. Currently, electronic health records are not an available option for consumers of Health. The absence of this key technology, the EHR, is a significant obstacle to providing patient accessible electronic records which would improve the quality of each individuals’ health care a lot. Although, it is never too late to implement such a system which would not only benefit health care professionals but also to the client. Results have shown that there are many obstacles and drawbacks to consider when implementing EHRs but the benefits do seem practical enough to work for once it carries out. Electronic health records should …show more content…
Firstly, clinical outcomes are the quality of care and patient safety (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). According to Menachemi & Collum, “EHRs, especially those with CDS [Clinical decision support] tools, have been empirically linked to an increased adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines and effective care” (2011). One such example includes “computerized reminders [sent] to physicians increased the use of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations from practically 0% to 35% and 50%” (Menachemi & Collum, …show more content…
When looking at the financial issues, it includes the cost of maintenance, ongoing maintenance, and loss of revenue associated with temporary loss of productivity. These issues primarily present a disincentive to hospitals and physicians to adopt and implement EHRs (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). Other barriers to consider when implementing EHRs include the enormous amount of time and training required for novice users, and the presence of a champion leader which is a critical factor in implementing EHRs (Terry et al., 2008).

For the full potential of EHRs to be realized, it first needs to be implemented by the government to transition a maximum number of providers to EHR adoption. Experts believe that without ubiquitous use of EHR technologies, the full potential of it will never be realized (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). As stated by Menachemi & Collum, the solution to the technological and logistical obstacles to achieve meaningful use of EHRs include, “[committing] US$650 million for the establishment of a network of up to 70 regional health information technology extension centres” (2011). This is a necessary step forward in the implementation of EHRs