Impact of Electronic Health Record
Student’s Name
Institutional
Affiliation
Impact of Electronic Health Record
The Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act applies to electronic health records in accordance with the provisions established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which essentially aims to safeguard patients’ data (Oklahoma Board of Nursing, 2017). Under the Act, electronic health records are deemed as confidential with the rights to divulge information present in these records provided for the patient only.
HIPAA is a set of legal requirements that cover most, if not all, issues dealing with electronic health data (Rodriguez, 2014). Concisely, the Act necessitates upholding of confidentiality as far as these records are concerned. HIPAA ensures that healthcare facilities apply physical, administrative, and technical protections that secure the integrity and confidentiality of EHR and EHR systems (Rodriguez, 2014).
The most applicable theory that can be implemented in relation to the use of EHRs involves the General Systems Theory. As a nursing theory, the General Systems Theory is centered on the utilization of nursing informatics (Merhi, 2015). Accordingly, the theory necessitates the implementation of aspects of informatics in an effort to integrate the structures within the healthcare context that will facilitate nursing education as well as practice in the long-term. In this respect, the premise supports the implementation of EHRs due to its impact on enhancing nursing practice.
EHR and EHR systems pose various implications for nursing practice. Foremost, they have been responsible for enhancing coordination and communication of care hence leading to improved healthcare results (Madison & Staggers, 2011). Consequently, the respective systems also provide nurses and healthcare facilities with tools and mechanisms that they can apply in an effort to enhance accuracy via the automation of processes (Madison & Staggers, 2011).
Primarily, the
usage of electronic health records enables healthcare organizations to input,
recover, and update records for individual patients. At the same time, these
systems contribute to ensuring the protection of patient information via on the
use of passwords and other encryption strategies (Poba-Nzaou, 2016). Furthermore,
EHR systems enable knowledge collaboration by creating networks whereby
information can be mutually shared among caregivers (Poba-Nzaou, 2016). Lastly,
EHR systems enhance healthcare outcomes by enhancing organization of information.
References
Madison, M. P., & Staggers, N. (2011). Electronic health records and the implications for nursing practice. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 1(4), 54-60.
Merhi, M. I. (2015). A process model leading to successful implementation of electronic health records. International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 8(2), 185-201.
Oklahoma Board of Nursing. (2017). Oklahoma Nursing Practice Act. Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma Board of Nursing.
Poba-Nzaou, P. (2016). Electronic health record in hospitals: A theoretical framework for collaborative lifecycle risk management. Journal of Healthcare Communications, 1(2), 1-4.
Rodriguez, L. (2014). EHRs and HIPAA: Steps for maintaining the privacy and security of patient information. Medscape. Retrieved from https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/821650_2.