Mike Martineau — in his regular feature article in Technology for Doctors — makes a plea for simplification of the artificial stratification that is taking place with health information technology. The article is well worth reading.
There is actually a very good analogy in healthcare. The levels within the healthcare system tend to be divided along the following lines: Acute, Community, and Primary care. What these divisions define are the budgeting and policy decisions that have to be made when managing each of these very large sectors. From an administrator’s perspective, this makes perfect sense; however, from a patient centric view of the system, it makes no sense at all.
As a patient, I go to see my family doctor, I am referred to the hospital for investigation or treatment and perhaps admitted. If necessary, I am transferred to community care for home care services or long-term care needs. If I am discharged, I am sent back to the care of my family doctor. From a care perspective the system appears to be seamless (in some cases) and is often highly disjointed because of the stratifications. This is a good point to keep in mind as we create increasingly finer definitions for different types of healthcare delivery using technology.
In his article, Mike states:
“OK, I’ve had enough. I have grappled with understanding and explaining the difference between an EMR (electronic medical record), an EHR (electronic health record), and an EPR (electronic patient record). I have struggled to distinguish how a PHR (personal health record) tethered to an EMR is different from a patient portal. I have even wrapped my head around how telehealth, telemedicine, and eHealth might in fact refer to somewhat different concepts. I draw the line, however, at mHealth! As Howard Beale said in the 1976 movie Network, ‘I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’”
Click here to read Mike's article or to comment on his blog.
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