PCs and networks are developing communications for most businesses, and the medical profession is no also comes under this. The push to move patient medical tracks on the internet, usually referred to as eHealth, can help medical personnel be more effective and make more accurate diagnoses. The technology is in development and moving to an online system needs time and money, but the United States government supports the growth and has promised money for help.


Meaning

1. eHealth is a term explaining the use of PCs, networks, and the Internet to control medical tracks, prescriptions and communication among medical companies. It is also popular as health informatics or Health Information Technology.

The objective of eHealth is to enhance keeping track and removing the use of paper and files.

The Obama administration set objective of each American having an electronic medical track by 2014 and provided up to $45 billion in incentive funds to help this cause.

EHRs

2. EHRs are the main part of eHealth. EHRs are digital PC files that replacing the paper file or medical chart. Earlier, when an individual visited a doctor, medical personnel consulted a huge file containing data. Now most medical offices are equipping nurses and doctors with small laptops or similar tools containing electronic health tracks. These electronic files have a patient's vital medical information.

Advantages

3. Biggest advantage of eHealth is that medical personnel can quickly access patient history from any place. If a person has an emergency and require visiting a hospital away from home, hospital staff can see his complete medical track, enabling immediately treatment. As they are printed, electronic health records are easier to read. Doctors more easily find important information, reducing errors and resulting in better patient health care.

EHRs requires no physical space. Large medical offices may require storing some files off site, resulting in time spent finding for archived or lost patient files. Doctors can also easily back up medical information. In the case of a fire or other tragedy, backup files can be securely saved on a server in a different area.

As EHRs are electronic files, medical offices can decrease paperwork by electronically transmitting invoices to insurance companies, speeding up the payment process. Doctors can also convey prescriptions to a pharmacist directly. Patients may have their prescriptions filled quicker and with less risk of dangerous drug connections.

Threats

4. There are threats in using eHealth. The biggest threat is safety. Apparently more and more of personal data is being saved on internet. As this trend continues, caution must be taken to prevent this data from unauthorized users.

Internet downtime or other technical issues can also have an effect on the availability of the eHealth system, restricting access to important information.

Electronic health tracks are in restricted use, as setting up a system used by all doctors and medical facilities needs great investment in terms of time and money. Tools must be bought and installed, staff must be qualified, and existing paper tracks must be entered in system.

Privacy

5. As medical tracks go online, private and patient confidentiality is a big concern. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s rule outlined 3 safeguards for preventing medical information that is Administrative safeguards outlined every day process for accessing, controlling and backing up patient information and physical safeguards outlined principle for PC safety and access; and technical safeguards established principle for preventing electronic information and how it is transferred.

Medical facilities, personnel and insurance companies must obey these safeguards or penalties should be implied.