Challenges with electronic health records

Challenges with electronic health recordsMedical records and documentation have gradually moved away from paper in recent years and toward electronic formats. Government regulations and the quick development of technology have played a key role in these transformations. Today, critical care hospitals and general hospitals both employ electronic health records to some extent—over 96% and 83%, respectively. Additionally, 78% of doctors who practice in offices use EMRs or EHRs. Although fully effective EHRs can be extremely helpful to the healthcare system, the performance and results of the current systems have been generally disappointing. This essay will examine some of the core issues that EHRs are now facing and how blockchain technology can address them.

ChallengesData misuse and breaches

According to statistics from the health data security company Protenus, there were over 500 breaches on healthcare clients in 2017 that affected more than 3.5 million patient records. The data also shows that ransomware and hacking incidences have increased by 20% and 133%, respectively. Overall, patient information is increasingly vulnerable to hacking and theft even if EHRs are assisting in overcoming deficiencies and fragmentations in the healthcare sectors.

According to a Forbes story by Mariya Yao, patient medical records could be worth more than $1000 to hackers. For attackers, EHRs have a wealth of useful information. Consider the possibilities for a hacker to discover someone's identity, place of residence, place of employment, age, family members, and even financial information. One of the most complete records we have about a person nowadays are their medical records.

Cost

Highly functioning and effective EHR implementation requires a considerable financial investment. The majority of healthcare facilities cannot afford to invest in highly reliable and functional systems given the cost of other medical resources and equipment. Most institutions have ended up buying subpar EHR systems in an effort to abide by government regulations and demands. Organizations are worried about the expense of software and hardware as well as implementation, support, and maintenance. Two prominent EHR implementations that cost more than $1 billion occurred in 2017. The cost of EHRs will continue to soar as long as demand for them grows.

Interoperability and functionality

Unsurprisingly, there are currently more than 100 EHR platforms on the market. The size and capability of each of these systems varies. Some are very scalable and efficient, whereas others are clumsy, rude, and have poor performance. Furthermore, the majority of the EHRs now on the market are proprietary and as such, were not created for external collaborations and communication. Thus, these functional and interoperability difficulties prevent the EHRs from operating efficiently and effectively. However, the ONC is presently developing an interoperability standard recommendation that should synchronize the various systems that are currently in place.

Professional Connections

The conventional doctor-patient interaction as well as doctor-physician relationships have been hampered by the introduction of EHRs. By removing face-to-face interactions, EHRs have increased the impersonality and superficiality of interactions. According to a 2010 review by the British Journal of General Practice, in-person consultations give more connection, address a wider range of concerns, and carry a lower risk of communication errors than using EHRs.

Trust

Naturally, both physicians and doctors have expressed skepticism and suspicion toward the introduction of EHRs. The majority of patients believe that keeping their information on an electronic ledger may harm them more than benefit them. Most people are concerned about their sensitive data's security and privacy. On the other hand, doctors are wary of IT solutions since they frequently increase rather than decrease their workload.

Possibilities for implementing blockchainCan blockchain provide a solution to the problems listed above? Blockchain provides transactions with unmatched robustness, security, and transparency. It makes no difference whether you agree with the recent ascent of cryptocurrencies or not; the underlying blockchain network is very reliable and scalable. The underlying technology of blockchain is comparable to a public, distributed ledger that verifies data ownership using dates and timestamps.

While providing treatment for patients necessitates a vast input of information, it would be impossible for doctors to access and search complete blockchains. Therefore, building EHR apps on top of the blockchain network is essential. EHRs powered by blockchain will save implementation costs, add an extra layer of security and resilience, improve interoperability, and contribute to greater system trust.

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