The differences between an EHR and EMR are subtle and often used as interchangeable terms, which can lead to confusion—even with medical practitioners. However, these distinctions can be quite profound when it handles the medical records of nearly 38 million citizens across Canada. But what exactly is an EMR and EHR? What is the difference between them, and how do they benefit you?
An EMR, or electronic medical record, is a computer-based record system held by a care facility and containing a patient’s medical history. Think of it as a doctor’s virtual clipboard: The information the doctor needs to take on you such as vitals, would be taken at that point in time. With that in mind, EMRs assist care providers in their day-to-day duties, such as diagnosis, treatments, or patient scheduling. If you walk into a clinic, diagnostic centre or your dental office, you’ll most likely encounter an EMR system.
An EHR, or electronic health record, is exactly that—your overall health record. You can think of it as a repository of medical information received from all the care facilities you’ve attended. An EHR is just as capable of sending information to care facilities as it receives, giving health professionals a better idea of your medical history. Of course, authorization needs to be given to the nursing home, walk-in clinic, diagnostic centre, etc. to retrieve this information in accordance with the Health Information Act.
For an EMR alone, the benefits for a care facility are immediately felt. Surprisingly, in our technological age, facilities still use paper-based systems as the primary method of recording patient data. Electronic-based systems can have tens of thousands of patient records with historical data dating back far longer than paper-based methods. Not only do EMRs save office space, it also exponentially saves time and costs to a medical clinic and the Canadian Healthcare industry.
For more in-depth information on the benefits of an EHR and EMR, please see our next article.