EHRs are not worth the investment if healthcare providers are only looking to replace paper patient records with the collection and storage aspect of an EHR. It is only when EHRs evolve to the point that healthcare data can not only be collected but can also be organized, made searchable and analyzed that EHRs can become a true clinical knowledge base.
EHRs and health IT systems must continue to improve. The biggest issues seem to be usability, fragmentation and lack of interoperability of the systems. But once the startup phase is over and healthcare providers have stopped thinking of EHRs as simply a replacement for paper charts, the potential of EHRs can be realized, according to Mr. Jenkins.
More Articles on EHR Usability:
Study: Certain Types of HIT Systems Offer Greater Value Than Others
10 Recommendations to Improve Usability of EHRs
AMIA’s 14 Usability Principles for EMR Design
