Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are computerized medical records that allow hospitals and other medical practices to organize patient data in digital files instead of paper files. EMR systems can allow for easier storage, retrieval and modification of patients’ medical records, integrating data generated by diagnostics instruments, imaging devices and administrative records. Though most hospitals in the U.S. and the world still rely on paper medical records, the move towards EMR has been steadily growing. As of 2006, 10% of U.S. hospitals employ fully integrated EMR systems.
EMRs in Ophthalmology
Many EMR vendors tend to create systems with templates designed to fit a variety of medical practices. While this makes good business sense, it also means these systems often don’t cater to the special needs of specific medical fields. This has been especially true in the case of ophthalmology, where field-specific EMRs have been slow to develop. If you take a cursory look at the amount of data that gets generated by ophthalmic treatments, it’s easy to see why. Ophthalmology documentation tends to require hundreds of more numerical values than most other medical fields. Integrating data obtained from corneal topography exams, excimer laser surgeries and other field-specific tests and procedures requires an EMR that has been designed with only the field of ophthalmology in mind.
What’s Available
Seeing the need for ophthalmology-specific EMR systems, a number of EMR vendors have developed software that’s designed with ophthalmological practices in mind. Companies like EMR Consultant, EyeFinity, and First Insight all offer EMR systems that include features like the ability to customize sensory eye exam screens and track patients’ contact lens prescriptions and display notes associated with the manufacturer. Many of these EMR systems rely on templates that can be set up and modified by the ophthalmologists themselves according to their data filing needs.
DIY Ophthalmic EMRs
Some ophthalmologists, in their spare time, have constructed their own electronic records systems using XML and Word programs. This DIY approach sprung from the perceived lack of adequate field-specific EMRs. A lot of these doctor-created EMRs can work well, but come with a number of potential problems, among them the fact that, should one wish to transfer the acquired data to a professional EMR system, the task would be immensely time consuming.
Benefits of EMRs
The good news is that ophthalmology-specific EMRs are getting better, and once you get over the learning curve, the seemingly complex systems become quite efficient. Many EMR vendors provide guides and training. Newer EMRs include user friendly interfaces that make the customizing process easier, and the time saved by using an ophthalmic EMR is well worth the commitment.
BIO-- Erick D. Smith is a blogger living in San Diego, California who writes about information in the medical field, including ophthalmic equipment and the excimer laser
