Duped by Data? Here’s Why EMRs Are Antiquated & Outdated in Today’s Hospital

Unfortunately, the vast majority of EMRs do not facilitate storing, retrieving, or acting on information in an efficient or intuitive way. The software used by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to store, access, and act on clinical data, known as electronic medical records (EMRs), is fundamentally flawed. The fact that healthcare professionals generally feel this way has almost become cliché. Patients experience it as well; we've lost track of how often we've been asked, "Isn't it in my chart?" when we inquire during a clinical appointment. Unfortunately, the vast majority of EMRs do not make it easy or efficient to save, retrieve, or act on information. The free-text parts, where physicians put narrative text data regarding the patient's medical issues, their own diagnostic impressions, and their treatment plans, are the most frequently damaged part of most charts.