Why choose Digital over Paper records in Clinic?
For hundreds of years, all records of all aspects of civilization have been on paper, obviously because the only other option then was for the personnel to memorize them and pass it on through word of mouth. In the 21st century though, we have made leaps and bounds in the growth of Digital Databases and Connectivity.
For industries like Healthcare Education, where a person’s life can be saved or lost based on proper data, it is all the more important to have the best record keeping system possible. So why should we choose digital records like the ones provided by Vestigo Health Solutions’ TracPrac? For the many reasons you can see below.
Save Valuable Space
With the way our population as well as the average life expectancy is increasing, the number of records for any healthcare organisation can reach unprecedented levels. As such, storing them physically can require more space than the patients themselves, no matter how efficient the filing system is. Paper files can be time-consuming to organize, difficult to share with others, and at risk of being ruined or lost in the event of an unexpected disaster. Many healthcare facilities store paper medical records in large warehouses that are filled to the brim with countless documents. Not only do those records take up space, but they also are less environmentally friendly and tend to decay, simply in storage or when handled by many individuals over time. The Clinical Tracking App TracPrac however, stores all students clinical/lab logs in a private and secure cloud, allowing the use of fewer resources and providing easier access by those who need them. All the space being taken up by paper records could be used to house more patients.
Save Money to Save Lives
It’s much, much cheaper to store records as digital images than it is in any other format. Digital media costs drop every day. Today, digital storage costs a thousandth of what it cost just a few decades ago, so the storage costs are continually dropping for electronic images. Having large amounts of files converted to digital formats all at once saves money in the long term — even if short term costs increase.
Instead of filling paper attendance sheets daily, you can simply use the Mobile Clinical Attendance feature of TracPrac for tracking clinical hours logged by each student, saving time and money wasted daily on Attendance records. All the money saved can then be invested in actual medical care such as medicines and equipment and personnel.
Easy Access and Search Ability
How much time is spent regularly just looking for old paper records? Getting access to detailed information quickly and on a regular basis is most easily done digitally. Often, for paper medical records to be shared with those who need them, they must be recovered — perhaps from a massive warehouse — then mailed or scanned and sent via email — a time-consuming process. However, the use of electronic medical records allows healthcare professionals to access the information they need almost instantly, whether through the use of email or a specific application or content management system. Healthcare professionals receive the information they need, and patients are treated in a timelier manner. The TracPrac works as a clinical evaluation tool that allows mentors to easily access and search through all clinical activities, e.g. to track clinical training hours, with just a few taps of their fingers.
Security of Data
If records are in paper form, they are open to compromise resulting from a break in, the loss of a record due to human error, or damage as a result of a natural disaster such as a fire or flood. Because many facilities keep just one copy of a paper record, the loss of a single record could mean that it’s gone for good. Sensitive information is most secure digitally. Keeping HR files and personal records digital is the safest way to protect your information, such as in TracPrac, where all clinical data is stored in the cloud-based server.
