Patient engagement and participation are important aspects of healthcare, keeping patients satisfied and even becoming the driving fuel to help boost outcomes. Healthcare organizations have deployed Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software systems to empower patients to participate in their healthcare journey. Effective patient engagement using EHR Software can help manage and treat various chronic conditions, including diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and many more.
How EMR Software Can Improve Patient Involvement by Accessing their Health Information?
Patient engagement can be greatly increased in several ways by giving patients access to their health information through Electronic Health Records (EHR) Software:
Empowerment through Information
When patients have access to their medical records, they become more involved and engaged. It facilitates an improved understanding of their diseases, treatments, and test findings, enabling patients to make more informed decisions.
Active Participation
Patients can take an active role in their care plans if they have access to their health information via EMR Software patient engagement tools such as the patient portal platform. They are better able to monitor their progress, go over notes from their medical professionals, and adhere to treatment or lifestyle recommendations.
Enhanced Communication
Electronic Health Records Software access promotes greater communication between patients and providers. During consultations, patients can ask educated questions, clarify misunderstandings about their health data, and explore treatment alternatives with greater confidence.
Patient Portal EMR Software Usage for Patient Engagement
ONC suggests in the agency’s Patient Engagement Playbook that practices should offer their patients patient portal software access in different languages to ensure all patients can easily engage with the software. Also, the ONC stressed the importance of tapping an intuitive and mobile-optimized solution.
Patient portals in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) software are critical in increasing patient involvement. These portals are safe online platforms that allow patients easy access to their medical records, test results, medication lists, appointment booking, and communication with healthcare practitioners.
By serving as a link, patient portal tools enable patients to actively participate in the management of their healthcare. Patients can easily track their health progress, request prescription refills, communicate with their care team more effectively, review and comprehend their medical information, and take an active role in treatment plan decision-making.
Enhanced engagement, better health outcomes, and a more patient-centered approach to care are all facilitated by the openness and accessibility that patient portals within EMR software enable.
Improved Patient Engagement Benefits
When patients are highly engaged throughout their healthcare journey using patient engagement tools offered by EHR systems the following benefits can be reaped:
- Improved health outcomes
- Effective communication with physicians
- Higher satisfaction scores
- Reduction in healthcare costs
- Patients have a better understanding of their health conditions
- Better allocation of healthcare resources by patients
- Increased participation in research and clinical trials.