The Evolution Of The Medical Record System: History, Present, and Future

The booming of digitalization, intertwined with the outgrowth of big data, has popularized the use of digital record management systems, especially in the healthcare industry. Undoubtedly, the introduction of the Electronic Health Record System (EHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) permits people to view their health histories at a glance and be more active in their own health treatment. At any time, the electronic health record provides patients and clinicians with a safe and secure way to keep and access all of a patient's records online.

In this article, GCT Solutions, a leading software development company in Vietnam, will pave the way through medical records’ history, present, and future.

1. What is the history of medical records and how it has evolved throughout the years?

The origins of the medical record sector may be traced to the 1920s when healthcare providers realized that recording patient care was advantageous for both physicians and patients. Patient records establish the details, complications, and outcomes of patient care.

Documentation became wildly popular after healthcare providers realized that they were better able to treat patients with complete and accurate medical histories. The importance of health records for patient safety and experience quality was quickly acknowledged. The term "record librarians" derives from the fact that the earliest medical records were recorded on paper, which explains the origin of the term.

As paper-based records soon became outdated and complicated, huge leaps in healthcare software development were produced in the 1980s. The introduction of digital registration allowed patients to experience a more seamless electronic check-in procedure for the very first time. The introduction of the master patient index (MPI), a database of patient information used across all the departments of a healthcare organization, was also a massive success.

These victories inspired software engineers to continue developing with a fresh emphasis on individual hospital departments. Digital healthcare systems have become more outstanding on the market, because treatments require complicated tactics.

However, these applications still face limitations. Computer applications are being used within healthcare walls, but none of them can communicate with each other or be viewed by neighboring departments.

While the technology developed outside of the healthcare industry, digitalization within healthcare had reached an impasse. The healthcare industry lacked an interdepartmental, communicative electronic record system.

But the turn of the century was going to change everything.

After explaining the origin of medical records in detail, GCT Solution will describe some types of medical records and give you some informative insights.

2. How many types of medical records?

There are three types of medical records that patients and doctors regularly use:

Technically, every medical record you maintain is a personal health record (PHR). You can maintain records:

But you are most likely to hear the term PHR in reference to online records. Your health plan's website or the website of a nearby hospital may offer free programs for this purpose. And your information is safeguarded so that only authorized individuals can access it.

You can type information into a webpage given by your health plan, which is an advantage. For instance, you can enter the results of home blood pressure testing. And when you visit your doctor for a checkup or therapy, he or she can view the results of your home tests with a few keystrokes.

This information can help your doctor provide you with the best care possible.

Secondly, Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are digital files that a doctor or other healthcare provider uses in lieu of paper files. The doctor enters the data into a computer. Then, these computer files remain on the computer system of your doctor.