Evaluating How Clinical Records Affect Decision-Making and Healthcare Administration in Pandemic Emergencies
Clinical records are essential for healthcare providers to make informed decisions about patient care. They contain a wealth of information about a patient’s medical history, including past diagnoses, treatments, and test results. This information can be used to diagnose new conditions, develop treatment plans, and monitor patient progress.
In the event of a pandemic, clinical records can be even more important. When healthcare systems are overwhelmed, clinical records can help providers to quickly identify patients who are at risk, make decisions about triage, and track the spread of the disease.
How Clinical Records Affect Decision-Making
Clinical records can affect decision-making in a number of ways. They can help providers to:
Diagnose new conditions: Clinical records can help providers to identify new conditions by providing information about a patient’s past medical history, symptoms, and risk factors. For example, if a patient with a history of asthma presents with shortness of breath, clinical records can help the provider to quickly rule out other possible causes, such as a heart attack or pneumonia.
Develop treatment plans: Clinical records can help providers to develop treatment plans by providing information about a patient’s past treatments, allergies, and other medical conditions. For example, if a patient with diabetes is admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, clinical records can help the provider to choose the right medications and doses.
Monitor patient progress: Clinical records can help providers to monitor patient progress by providing information about a patient’s symptoms, laboratory results, and response to treatment. For example, if a patient with pneumonia is being treated with antibiotics, clinical records can be used to track the patient’s fever, respiratory rate, and white blood cell count.
How Clinical Records Affect Healthcare Administration
Clinical records can also affect healthcare administration in a number of ways. They can help administrators to:
Plan for resource allocation: Clinical records can help administrators to plan for resource allocation by providing information about the number of patients with different conditions, the severity of their illnesses, and the resources that are needed to care for them. For example, if a pandemic is expected to cause a surge in patients with respiratory illnesses, administrators can use clinical records to plan for the need for additional hospital beds, ventilators, and staff.
Track the spread of disease: Clinical records can help administrators to track the spread of disease by providing information about the number of patients with a particular disease, the location of the patients, and the source of the infection. For example, if a new strain of influenza is spreading through a community, administrators can use clinical records to track the number of cases, the location of the cases, and the people who have been exposed to the virus.
Identify areas for improvement: Clinical records can help administrators to identify areas for improvement by providing information about the quality of care, the timeliness of care, and the cost of care. For example, if a patient with pneumonia is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, administrators can use clinical records to identify the factors that contributed to the readmission.
Conclusion
Clinical records are essential for healthcare providers to make informed decisions about patient care. They can also be used by healthcare administrators to plan for resource allocation, track the spread of disease, and identify areas for improvement. In the event of a pandemic, clinical records can be even more important, as they can help providers to quickly identify patients who are at risk, make decisions about triage, and track the spread of the disease.
References
Aghaei, S., et al. (2016). The impact of electronic health records on clinical decision-making: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 23(1), 15-25.
Barker, E., et al. (2017). The use of electronic health records in pandemics: A systematic review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 17(1), 111.
Choudhry, N. K., et al. (2015). The use of electronic health records in improving the quality of care: A systematic review. JAMA, 314(19), 2095-2107.
Shaw, P. A., et al. (2018). The role of electronic health records in healthcare administration: A systematic review. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 606.
