From Paperwork to Powerplay: Why India Needs Digital Health Records

I’m certain that all of us have at least one family member that takes regular medication for some chronic condition and has been under diagnosis and treatment for years. That one member happens to be my father in my case, he has been under regular diagnosis and treatment for hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia for 14 years, completed with various doctors, hospitals and medications. The medical records in the forms of consultation slips, prescriptions, diagnostic tests, allergy reports, etc. that come as the result of the ongoing treatment have accumulated to uncountable sheets of paper. Even the regular lipid profile tests are all sheets of papers sprawled around the house in folders and drawers. In one specific scenario, if this person has to visit a new doctor now that he has been transferred to a new city, he has to either give a verbal idea of what all he has been on and through in these 14 years or simply go through imaging and diagnostic tests again. That would, in the former scenario lead to inaccurate prescriptions or in the latter, a colossal wastage of time and money for the patient. This is where lies the ardent need of a consolidated medical record system in India, because the situation here is dire, with less than 12% of the population having their health records consolidated in one place.

With the ABHM-ABHA initiative the government has already taken its initial steps to create a secure and reliable repository for the citizens’ medical history. But unless we understand it for ourselves what is the point even! By a “consolidated” medical record, we loosely mean, a Longitudinal digital health record, subsequently meaning, Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Personal Health Records (PHR). An EHR is a patient chart sheet, but digital, including the patient’s history (any past cases of disorders, diseases, allergies, medications), diagnosis, immunization schedules, treatment plans, laboratory tests, imaging tests, etc. with all the data lying with the providers of the health facility, the hospital, in most cases. A PHR includes all the similar information with all the data lying in the security of the patient themselves, where they can choose to share the required data with the providers.?

Now that we have the answer to “what” it means by consolidation of the medical records, let’s tackle “why” we need it. If we roll up the numbers: nearly 20% of the people visiting different doctors end up getting duplicate tests for the lack of a credible collection of the results. Which in the presence of an overall patient history collection in one place can be avoided. All forms of drugs are tested on a large number of people and there are always chances of it not being fitted to a patient’s immune system, also medication is best prescribed with complete knowledge of a person’s history with various lines of treatments. Genetic lineage and family history of numerous conditions hold great importance in making headway with the medical care that has to be provided to the patient. Such data can also be retrieved and applied for clinical decision making using EHRs. On top of that, in case of health insurance claims, fraudulent or incompetent healthcare delivery and medico-legal battles the patient’s medical records are the only form of non-tamperable evidence that is available, and such critical records being on paper which can easily be misplaced, stolen or meddled with leads to loss of both money and time on the patient’s end.

On the flip side of the coin, for hospitals, clinics, doctors, diagnostic laboratories and pharmacies, basically the providers of healthcare, EHR modernization by implementing data analytics and decision support systems can offer healthcare providers real-time information and suggestions to help them make better decisions, from diagnosis to resource management. Along with improving coordination amongst the various specificities of the healthcare providers, EHRs reduce the space for human errors to seemingly zero. With EHRs, all of the patient information is accessible from any computer with internet access, so the doctors can collaborate on patient care in real-time enhancing efficiency and accuracy in data handling and deliverance of appropriate treatment. Furthermore, EHRs support regulatory compliance and reporting requirements, simplifying administrative processes and reducing the burden on healthcare staff. Maintaining a medical record serves several purposes, apart from monitoring the actual patient it supports medical research, facilitates medical, dental, or paramedical education, aids in insurance cases, personal injury suits, workmen's compensation cases, criminal cases, and will cases, provides evidence in malpractice suits, and enables medical audits and statistical studies.

EHRs, PHRs, and other health IT developments tend to make many patients more active participants in their own health care, while also creating a more flexible and accurate healthcare delivery. The ME application of Medoc Health is a PHR that contains all of a person’s individual and family health data in one place. With online appointments, lab tests bookings and results, fitness tracking, medication tracking and medical finance integration such applications make you the most invested in yours and your family’s well being. In like manner, EHR and HMS softwares, DocAssist, Medoc+ and Hospital+ together facilitate greatly efficient patient data management, pharmaceutical inventory management, coordination between doctors and paramedical staff and makes for a reliable platform for medical finance operation. Despite the intensive effort at national and international level, the fundamental health care needs of the population of the developing countries are still unmet. The lack of basic health data renders difficulties in formulating and applying a rationale for the allocation of limited resources that are available for patient care and disease prevention. But with application of digital record keeping with IT interventions in the form of EHRs, HMSs, and PHRs can improve patient outcomes, increase operational efficiency, and build a stronger foundation for future innovations in healthcare.

Credits Sneha Kumar