The Coming Age Of Electronic Medical Records: From Paper To Electronic

Abstract

Medical records, first developed in the fifth century, have remained virtually unchanged until the explosion of new technology in the mid-1960’s. The National Space and Aeronautics Administration’s development of computerized patient record (CPR) brought life to the electronic medical record (EMR) industry. Preventable deaths due to medical errors drew the attention of public and health care professionals to the need for increased patient safety and improved quality measures in medicine. With health care costs compromising 16-17% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, Congress passed legislation to financially support providers to adopt electronic medical record (EMR). As a result, future efforts will focus on the sharing of information among all health care stakeholders. Across the world, governments, technology companies, and care providers are collaborating efforts to make the EMR a reality.