An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared through network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems or other information networks and exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information.
For several decades, electronic health records (EHRs) have been touted as key to increasing of quality care. Electronic health records are used for other reasons than charting for patients; today, providers are using data from patient records to improve quality outcomes through their care management programs. EHR combines all patients demographics into a large pool, and uses this information to assist with the creation of "new treatments or innovation in healthcare delivery" which overall improves the goals in healthcare. Combining multiple types of clinical data from the system's health records has helped clinicians identify and stratify chronically ill patients. EHR can improve quality care by using the data and analytics to prevent hospitalizations among high-risk patients.
EHR systems are designed to store data accurately and to capture the state of a patient across time. It eliminates the need to track down a patient's previous paper medical records and assists in ensuring data is up-to-date, accurate and legible. It also allows open communication between the patient and the provider, while providing "privacy and security." It can reduce risk of data replication as there is only one modifiable file, which means the file is more likely up to date and decreases risk of lost paperwork and is cost efficient. Due to the digital information being searchable and in a single file, EMRs (electronic medical records) are more effective when extracting medical data for the examination of possible trends and long term changes in a patient. Population-based studies of medical records may also be facilitated by the widespread adoption of EHRs and EMRs.
Terminology
The terms EHR, electronic patient record (EPR) and EMR have often been used interchangeably, but differences between the models are now being defined. The electronic health record (EHR) is a more longitudinal collection of the electronic health information of individual patients or populations. The EMR, in contrast, is the patient record created by providers for specific encounters in hospitals and ambulatory environments and can serve as a data source for an EHR.
In contrast, a personal health record (PHR) is an electronic application for recording personal medical data that the individual patient controls and may make available to health providers.
Comparison with paper-based records
While there is still a considerable amount of debate around the superiority of electronic health records over paper records, the research literature paints a more realistic picture of the benefits and downsides.
The increased transparency, portability, and accessibility acquired by the adoption of electronic medical records may increase the ease with which they can be accessed by healthcare professionals, but also can increase the amount of stolen information by unauthorized persons or unscrupulous users versus paper medical records, as acknowledged by the increased security requirements for electronic medical records included in the Health Information and Accessibility Act and by large-scale breaches in confidential records reported by EMR users. Concerns about security contribute to the resistance shown to their adoption. When users log in into the electronic health records, it is their responsibility to make sure the information stays confidential and this is done by keeping their passwords unknown to others and logging off before leaving the station.