Electronic Health Records

When I think of Electronic Health Records, what comes to mind is the amazing accessibility that it has to offer. With the click of a button, nurses have an abundance of information before them that can guide the care for their patients. This tool has everything, from simple patient demographics, to pertinent information that is used to care for that patient. Labs, medications, doctors orders, trends for important assessments, and much more, can all be seen/used in the EHR. I think that the use of Electronic Health Records in nursing is a game changer for how we can apply care, and treat the patients in a holistic way. 

Health Information Exchange (HIE), is a software that is used in the healthcare industry to exchange patient health information among different facilities/organizations, which allow for easy access of patient information/records from the past. This tool was built to improve healthcare quality and reduce health care spending and has been vigorously pushed to improve the flow of clinical, financial, and administrative data within the U.S. healthcare system. In nursing, it can bridge the gap between the patient’s past and present medical history. In nursing, we have a responsibility to gather data on each of our patients and be an active investigator to get all the facts regarding their health. I believe that the HIE aids this active investigation and can significantly improve how we treat our patients. I will use the EHR to enhance the care for my patients by utilizing as much information provided within the system. There are so many nooks and links within the EHR, so I will be sure to delve deep into each file to explore.

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