If you work in a medical facility, then you know that patient records have mostly gone to being electronic. However, there are some benefits of paper charts to consider before getting rid of them altogether.
Copies
A reason to continue using paper medical charts is that you can easily make copies of them in case patients or doctors request them. You can also store copies in multiple areas of the office so that they are available when they are needed. If a patient changes to another medical office, it’s easy to give them a copy of their medical record to take with them instead of sending it electronically and it possibly getting lost or sent to a spam folder.
Format
There’s usually a simple format when it comes to paper medical charts. This can allow for a reduced cost associated with training the staff on figuring out how to use an electronic system. It’s also easier to determine where information goes on the chart and how to read the information compared to searching through online details that could get confusing.
Emergencies
In the event of an emergency, you want to be able to view information about a patient as quickly as possible. Paper charts allow for going to a file and getting the chart right away instead of searching through files that are online that could take a few minutes to retrieve. If there’s a power or internet outage, then you want to have paper charts on hand so that you can have access to the patient’s medical history as well.
