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A recent study report released by Johns Hopkins University indicates the benfits of hi-tech healthcare to the patients. Study shows that Hospitals and healthcare providers who uses more advanced technology for  record keeping have low rate of complications, reduced mortality rates, and also lower cost. The study was conducted at more than 40 hospitals who deploy digital record systems and more than 160,000 patients for a period of six-months.The use of electronic records allows doctors to find information on patients more easily by accessing system without going through extensive papoer files. This increses the quality of patient care.

The leading medical institutions in Chicago including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, NorthShore University HealthSystem–Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, Skokie Hospital, and 75 doctor’s offices–, University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, Rush University Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Hospital have either already made the leap to digital records, or are in the process of being digital. So the study findings are not  surprise to Chicago-area hospitals, well versed in digital technology. The study also quotes the experiences of  experts from hospitals which were gone digital in the recent past. The main benefits evolved out of  the experiences of these hospitals are,

• Digital records can even prevent mistakes from being made.
• Measurable improvements in the quality of outcomes, reduced medication errors and become generally more efficient
• With electronic records, it is much easier to track who has accessed a file—an important security feature
• No fear of losing or misplacing records.
• Digital records replaces loose pieces of paper with illegible writing.

The study also discloses the problems faced by these hospitals in the course of adoption of medical records. It shows that in some of the hospitals The older physicians are more likely to be unwilling or uncertain about using the computer system. There is also a steep cost of investment as far as equipment and training is concerned. But the return is very long-term and small in comparison.

Source: Adopted from an article written by Vanessa Handand and Chris Kelly, Northwestern University.