Electronic health record (EHR) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Electronic health record (EHR) - Coursework Example On a general scale, this type of recording system prompts direct access to key health information on the level that can be both personal and population-based. Such actions are solely executed by permitted health personnel as authorized users of the system. In whole, it is a significant provision of necessary data sets that supports the decision-making process for â€Å"quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care...(in) efficient processes for health care delivery† (Lehmann et al., 2006, p. 3). Broadly speaking, the system adapted in EHR serves as fundamental parameter in which health care team base the category of care to be provided, as past information are profound on how present health status should be approached in clinical settings. As EHR is an electronically run, it largely involves both hardware constructs and software applications. In particular, connections are managed through workstations of computer sets and servers for large database storage and application se ttings, which must be affiliated by a telecommunication services for further assistance inter-departmental network interactions within and outside the clinical zone (please see Figure 1 in Appendix A). As the hardware part of the infrastructure is presented through routers, PCs and related electronic devices, softwares are the application mechanics that run the programs needed in entering data information in computer equipments. To establish a valid link in all computer programs in different clinical departments, a â€Å"local area network (LAN)† must be installed in each computers, or â€Å"wide area networking (WAN)† in multiple site connections, uniting strategic users (billing/accounting, administrative and recording sectors) who require copies of basic and/or patient information (Walker, Bieber, & Richards, 2006). As the structural side of EHR have been explained, it is important to note that the internal flow of organization management is also a critical point in the success of the whole system. In Figure 2 (please see Appendix B) a sample of customized work flow of organization communication and function of both health care and IT teams involved in the system of electronic recording are presented. Basing from the diagram, one can surmise that the simple arrival of a clients for a check-up requires an extensive flow of functional work. In the absence of a systematized work flow structure, the whole organization may face delays as information storage and retrieval are backlogged by inappropriate system of recording. The large volume of data stored through EHR makes it an ideal system for promoting an intensive communication pattern that is both comprehensive and accurate in form. As unique identifiers, this type of system has been largely encouraged in first world countries due to its unique characteristics. It is an identification medium that can easily be accessed from internal and external data systems, efficiently discriminating between similar demographic information from potential receptors of health care (Cunningham, n.d.). The idea of storing bulk of information starting from birth to the dying moments is essential in order to trace how individuals maintain their well-being during their whole life. This is an epidemiological tool that inventively personalizes health services provided by one