Electronic health records: current and future use

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the current state of the electronic medical record, including benefits and shortcomings, and presents key factors likely to drive development in the next decade and beyond. The current electronic medical record to a large extent represents a digital version of the traditional paper legal record, owned and maintained by the practitioner. The future electronic health record is expected to be a shared tool, engaging patients in decision making, wellness and disease management and providing data for individual decision support, population management and analytics. Many drivers will determine this path, including payment model reform, proliferation of mobile platforms, telemedicine, genomics and individualized medicine and advances in ‘big data’ technologies.