Charting Electronic Medical Records
As more and more doctors switch to keeping electronic medical records (EMRs), the ability to use these computerized charting systems will become a necessary skill for not only doctors, but other medical technicians and professionals.
The goal is to have all electronic medical records easily accessible to all appropriate facilities. This means that the record that begins in the office of a patient’s primary care physician can be easily transmitted and updated by laboratories and specialists as well as at clinics and hospitals where the patient may go for additional treatment.
By charting on a computerized systems , doctors can significantly decrease the number of clerical errors that result from handwritten orders. They can also utilize standardized abbreviations and terminology, and even create templates for recurring orders. This significantly increases efficiency both within a given practice or clinic and in the sharing of records between facilities. Patients no longer have to wait days or weeks for a record to be copied and mailed or delivered back to the doctors office. The lab report can be instantly attached to the EMR or digitally copied and transmitted in a matter of seconds.
All of these technological advances mean that the old fashioned medical chart put together piecemeal is quickly becoming the stuff of museums.


