JAMA published an editorial where Stanford (Calif.) University researchers claim electronic health records aren't keeping up with the major changes in healthcare data analytics.
Here are five takeaways:
1. EHRs have the ability to lower medication errors and reduce repetitive tests, but they often do not use various tools in a way that supports physicians' ability to tailor treatment plans to an individual patient's needs.
2. The researchers argue EHRs do little to improve preventative medicine and could work to use information from past cases to improve future treatment.
3. The wealth of information EHRs provide often have negative repercussions such as alert fatigue. Some healthcare leaders are seeking an electronic system that prioritizes certain information rather than overwhelming providers with data that is not useful.
4. EHRs do not always tell a patient's story as they don't have information regarding a patient's social and behavioral factors that play a part in a patient's treatment response and health outcomes. Because of this deficiency, the National Academy of Medicine is supporting an EHR that takes social determinants into account.
5. The research says the EHR needs to do more as "sophisticated advances in technology are going untapped. Better medical record systems are needed that are dissociated from billing, intuitive and helpful, and allow physicians to be fully present with their patients."
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