The promised benefits of electronic medical records are no longer a futuristic vision. They are here, and health experts say the full potential of EMRs and EHRs are just beginning to be explored.
With the PS Suite EMR system developed by MD Physician Services, for example, many physicians now have ready access to their patients’ health information, wherever they are.
In Ontario, “critical mass has been achieved in the province’s primary care system,” reports Dr. Darren Larsen, Ontario MD’s senior peer physician. “In two to three years, as physicians collect data, we will be able to make some powerful improvements to population-based health delivery and service.”
EMR adoption has already improved efficiencies and quality of care. When a medication is prescribed, for example, the EMR system flags potential interactions with other medications, as well as side-effects and risks associated with co-existing conditions.
Physicians also have mobile access to EMR, enabling them to connect to patient records wherever they are. “If I’m on a house call, at the hospital, or at home and on-call, I have all the information I need at my fingertips, all the time. That leads to better decision-making and more effective patient advice,” says Dr. Larsen, a PS Suite EMR client.
PS Suite EMR has the potential to improve patient education and compliance. “I use my computer to show my patients graphs of where they’ve been and where they’re likely going,” he notes. “For example, I can point out that someone has had a high number of urinary infections over a period of time, to show that we need to investigate the cause.”
For the millions of Canadians living with chronic health conditions, EMRs enable more proactive health management. If a patient with diabetes has not had an eye examination in the past year, the system will alert the physician, so the patient can be notified. “Much of chronic care – for diabetes, asthma, cancer, thyroid disease, COPD and scores of other disorders – requires looking forward, using the data from the past. EMR allows that. Once you build a system of reminders, a lot of the process becomes almost automatic,” Dr. Larsen says.
In Peterborough, Ontario, Dr. Nick Vanderkamp has used PS Suite EMR in his practice for about four years. “It’s helpful in measuring the benefit of lifestyle interventions and medication.”
On a macro level, he says, search capability makes it possible to measure quality of care. “As a community, we’re working to improve overall health outcomes, particularly for chronic disease management. With EMR, we can search records to see how many people in our practice are meeting the outcome measures we’re looking for. It’s an exciting new direction.”
In multi-physician clinics, legibility of records, lost records and record retrieval were formerly challenging issues, says Dr. Neeraj Sanjeev Bector of Edmonton.
“With PS Suite EMR, nothing falls through the cracks. Whether it’s our staff or a physician dealing with an issue or patient request, everything is dealt with in the system electronically and can be reviewed after, if necessary, in the audit log.”
Dr. Neeraj Sanjeev Bector
Dr. Neeraj Sanjeev Bector, Edmonton— photo supplied
Visual representation of lab results are much more powerful in motivating patients than “having a bunch of numbers thrown at them,” he says. “They can actually see the effect that medications or other interventions are making on their care in a simplified graphic.”
In Alberta, NetCare is a provincial repository for lab information, diagnostic imaging, hospital discharge summaries and emergency records. “It provides timely access, and I can retrieve data that other physicians have generated,” says Dr. Bector. “We’re not duplicating lab tests or imaging, potentially re-exposing patients to radiation or generating extra cost.”
For patients, EMR can mean better care and greater peace of mind. Mary Jane McQueen, who is the primary caregiver for her 86-year-old mother, says, “When my mom has serious health issues, I’m able to stay in contact with Dr. Larsen by e-mail. As he has access to her electronic health records wherever he is at the time, we’ve been able to get ahead of the game in terms of treatment, rather than get to the point where we’d have to go to emergency.”
