The Electronic medical record: Designing with the patient in mind

Abstract

The transition from paper charts to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is intended to create a more efficient health care industry. The use of EMRs eliminates paper waste and allows doctors and other medical staff to communicate with others conveniently wherever they happen to be located. Currently, the focus is on working through functionality and design issues in the hospital EMRs and getting doctors acquainted with how the EMR works. The patient focus has not been addressed at this time in terms of how they use and interact with their personal medical history. Based on my own personal experiences suffering from a chronic illness, I designed an EMR called iCareLog that is patient friendly and allows those with chronic health issues to keep track of their medical information and store it all in one convenient place.