Why medical records should be digitised

We have all heard the jokes about doctors handwriting, but this isn’t the only reason why medical records should now be stored in digital form. There are a huge number of benefits to storing your medical records in a digital fashion, as it can improve your working practise, space and efficiency, not to mention the security of all the details that you keep.

Here we look at the many reasons for digitising your records and how best to go about it.

It is important to remember that there are different ways to store medical records digitally. This does not always refer to inputting everything into a computer, as it is possible now to scan existing documents and store them digitally. This can take the form of a digital image or even a text files which can be shared and read more easily.

Files can be stored in various systems including a cloud which allows for it to be expanded to whatever capacity you need and can grow with you to allow you take on any number of patients without having to worry about where you will keep the many hefty files that come with them.

Storage

One of the biggest reasons for making your medical records digital is for the storage options that it offers. Patient records need to be stored for a long time, and therefore they can take up a lot of physical space. Filing cabinets can be cumbersome, difficult to move and requiring a lot of floor space, and it can be hard to expand on the space that they need as the number of records you have grows.

Scanning charts and documents and uploading them to an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system ensures that they can be stored correctly, and you will never have to worry about space again. Those physical storage systems can be done away with, giving you a new room to use in a far better way, or reducing the rental cost of any storage space that you may have acquired.

Time Saving

Your ability to store digital documents in an organised way makes them much easier to find. It is believed that as many as 46% of UK patients have had treatment delayed due to the fact that their information has not been adequately shared. A doctor can quickly look up past medical records when seeing a patient in a matter of seconds, instead of the laborious process of searching through endless files which may not have been put the right order.

This means that time spent with a patient can be more dedicated to their issues and answering questions, instead of searching for their previous history. It also means they can be shared by email much more easily, making appointments and follow-ups run more smoothly and freeing up medical professionals to do more important tasks. It is estimated that traditional offices can spend over 9 hours a week simply searching for documents, so cutting down on this can make a huge difference to everyone.

Whilst an EMR system may have some cost implications when it comes to set-up, this will soon be offset by the amount of time that is saved. The amount of personnel time can be greatly reduced, and the amount of office space that you need can also be decreased.

Some medical practices may already use some form of digital records, but these are often stored across different systems, which still fails to save time. By streamlining all of these into one system you can ensure everything is accessed easily and without hassle.

Security

Confidentiality is a huge issue when it comes to patient records, and a digital system can give you far improved levels of security. These documents contain extremely personal and sensitive information, so it is vital that who can see them is restricted. When trying to store them in paper form, you will need surveillance cameras or even security guards to ensure that they never fall into the wrong hands.

However, an EMR system can be protected through unique logins, and all of the information that it contains will be fully encrypted. This level of security means that you can also restrict which members of staff can access particular documents, creating an extra level of confidentiality should it be needed.

Losing a paper record can be disastrous. It is often the only copy and it is impossible to trace who last had access to it. Electronic documents have protections in place to prevent accidental deletion, and there are usually backed up copies saved should the worst happen. These back ups can also be useful if something happens to your building, such as a flood or fire, as they will still be safe and accessible from anywhere.

The unique logins for each member of staff means that you will always be able to see who last viewed or updated a document and you can lock them to prevent them from being changed. This means you are able to provide levels of security digitally that you could never replicate if your documents remain in physical form.

Accuracy

When it comes to the health of your patients, accuracy is essential. If something cannot be read properly, it can slow down some important processes, and essentially put your patients at risk. By typing records, you can avoid a lot of mistakes and ensure that everyone is able to read and understand them properly.

Digital documents can be emailed between different medical professionals quickly, which means they are always up to date. They can be continually added to and returned, so whoever looks at them can be sure they are seeing an accurate representation of that patient’s health.

The security and accuracy of your medical records is of paramount importance and digitising them is a great way to avoid some very serious disasters. It helps your practice to be fully compliant as well as saving time and money which can be better spent elsewhere.