Electronic Medical Records Our growing reliance on computers and the strength of information technology are playing an increasingly important role in medicine. Laboratory data are accessed almost universally through computers. Many medical centers now have electronic medical records, computerized order entry, and bar-coded tracking of medications. Some of these systems are interactive and provide reminders or warn of potential medical errors. In many ways, the health care system has lagged behind other industries in the adoption of information technology. Electronic medical records have extraordinary potential for providing rapid access to clinical information, imaging studies, laboratory results, and medications. This type. | Chapter 001. The Practice of Medicine Part 4 Electronic Medical Records Our growing reliance on computers and the strength of information technology are playing an increasingly important role in medicine. Laboratory data are accessed almost universally through computers. Many medical centers now have electronic medical records computerized order entry and bar-coded tracking of medications. Some of these systems are interactive and provide reminders or warn of potential medical errors. In many ways the health care system has lagged behind other industries in the adoption of information technology. Electronic medical records have extraordinary potential for providing rapid access to clinical information imaging studies laboratory results and medications. This type of information is invaluable for ongoing efforts to enhance quality and improve patient safety. Ideally patient records should be easily transferred across the health care system providing reliable access to relevant data and historic information. However technology limitations and concerns about privacy and cost continue to limit a broad-based utilization of electronic health records in most clinical settings. It should also be emphasized that information technology is merely a tool and can never replace the clinical decisions that are best made by the physician. In this regard clinical knowledge and an understanding of the patient s needs supplemented by quantitative tools still seem to represent the best approach to decision-making in the practice of medicine. Evaluation of Outcomes Clinicians generally use objective and readily measurable parameters to judge the outcome of a therapeutic intervention. For example findings on physical or laboratory examination such as the blood pressure level the patency of a coronary artery on an angiogram or the size of a mass on a radiologic examination can provide critically important information. However patients usually seek medical attention for subjective reasons
