Health information technology can eliminate the use of handwritten records and the errors associated with them. The ordering of duplicate tests by different doctors will be eliminated and errors reduced. Some examples of health IT uses are personal health records (PHR), electronic health records (EHR) and electronic prescribing (e-Rx).
Personal health records are for your quick reference, such as your latest immunizations. PHRs may be provided with a health care plan, but it may come with a fee.
Electronic health records are computer based and used by hospital staff for up-to-date information. This usually includes health conditions, allergies, treatments, tests, and medications. These systems help reduce errors and can even warn about drug interactions and provide reminders about tests and procedures. It may be possible to link PHRs with EHRs to share information.
Electronic prescribing is the sending of your prescriptions from doctors and health care providers to your pharmacy electronically. This reduces errors due to poor handwriting, drug interactions, and a drug not being covered.
There is a potential security concern about the privacy of health information. Medical identity theft has already occurred in some hospitals and doctor’s offices. Rules and limits on who can access your information have already been established by the federal government in accordance to HIPAA. Doctors and health plan providers need to be instructed on the privacy and security of health information.
