The Electronic Patient Record - a Model for the Future Direction of Health Care

Medical and diagnostic errors often occur because complete patient information is not available at the time of patient care. An integrated Electronic Patient Health Record (EPHR) system could help resolve these problems. The EPHR model explains how the integration of every department creates a synergy between departmental systems by allowing data to be captured at any location in a physicians’ office or the hospital. A physician’s EPHR consists of an individual’s health/medical information from “birth to death.” This paper discusses the use and impact of an EPHR system and its relation to the EPHR model, which defines the electronic patient system and its components. Furthermore, this paper describes a study that determines how many physicians, group practices, and hospitals currently use an EPHR in order to determine the level of EPHR implementation to improve the quality of patient care.