The importance of understanding electronic medical documentation.

There are mandates within the new healthcare reform that require all health entities to switch to use of electronic medical record ( EMR) by 2015. This will allow for ease in communication between health professional worldwide. Doctors will also be able to communicate directly with their patients who are computer literate and have access to a computer, many individuals are excited to have the ability to view their health records online at their leisure. A major concern with this added ability is privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)  protects all health information so that patient confidentiality is maintained. 
Well what does this have to do with nursing curriculum adding an introductory course in electronic documentation? Because there is a mandate for every health institution to switch to EMR, it is imperative for nurses to have understanding of how to document electronically in order to be competitive in the job market.

Electronic medical record use

There are many advantages to using electronic medical charting. Please review the tutorial listed below for a demonstration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW1l0R7j3Yk

Learning to use EMR

Once all healthcare entities transition to EMR what will be the fate of older nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers who are not computer literate?

Unfortunately nurses and CNAs, and other healthcare professionals who have worked many years in the long-term care environment have not been exposed to electronic charting that has been prominent in hospitals for years; therefore they may have more difficulty grasping the concept. The government has mandated that all health care industries embrace this technological future, but who protects the twenty year health professional who are unable to master the use of this technology. Will the government allow full retirement benefits for them given the fact that this is a governmental change not the employer? I believe that it is highly unlikely that the government will provide payouts for older health care worker that may be forced to retire simply because they cannot embrace the new technology; unfortunately many good nurses and other healthcare employees may be lost on this journey to high speed internet and electronic medical records.

Selecting appropriate software

There is an enormous amount of software available to make use of EMR easy. If nursing programs obtain approval to incorporate an introductory class, the challenge would be finding software that is user friendly and cost-effective. Practice Fusion offers easy to understand software available to manage student training sessions quickly and efficiently.

Easy to use Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Retrieved from http://www.practicefusion.com/pages/easy_to_use_EHR.html

What is the most cost-effective way for nursing programs to facilitate ease in  teaching students how to transition from paper charting to  electronic documentation? 
1. Begin with research to assess the usefulness of teaching students the basics of EMR use.
2. Adequate IT staff available to teach skills and answer questions that may arise.

3.Development of a test program similar to the paper record format to facilitate ease in comprehension. 

These are just a few ways of getting started with incorporating an introductory course into nursing curriculum so that students can to get the  basics of EMR use.

 

University implement EMR training

Below is a link to read about Michigan State University's partnership with EMR training.

http://www.healthteam.msu.edu/msuvp.aspx

Should nursing programs include a course in electronic medical record use?

With the current explosion in technology and the shift of many health institutions to electronic documentation, it would be idea for nursing program to include an introductory course in its use. Many graduates enter the workforce with little knowledge of electronic charting as a result they have difficulty finding employment. It is more cost-effective to hire nurses with computer experience than it is to train. Your input will be greatly appreciated, please comment.