Health needs shift to view EMRs as long-term assets

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Digital technologies are not put in to save money, “digital technologies are put in to deliver value," said Clair Sullivan, director of the Queensland Digital Health Centre, at the opening plenary of the Health Innovation Community (HIC) 2024 conference in Brisbane in August.

Sullivan said there is a need to rethink the role of electronic medical records (EMRs) in healthcare, to view them as long-term assets rather than short-term cost-saving tools.

“An electronic medical record can be viewed as an asset the same way a high school might be viewed as an asset. When we put forward a business case for a high school, we don't expect it to return cash, because it is an asset and it produces value down the chain,” she said.

This requires a shift in perspective to think about digital technologies as a way to deliver on the Quadruple Aim; enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs and improving the work life of healthcare providers.

Sullivan said the future of healthcare is digital, as it “is impossible to do artificial intelligence or precision medicine on paper." 

She said well-publicised challenges have plagued EMR implementations, including high costs, clinician burnout, and concerns over system efficiency, but emphasised the significant value EMRs can deliver, particularly in improving patient safety.

In a study published in Nature - Digital Medicine, a team, including Sullivan, investigated the impact of transitioning from paper records to EMRs in two hospital wards. This resulted in a 40 percent reduction in reported medication incidents.

“In all of my time as a clinician I have never seen any single intervention that has resulted in such a sharp and sustained decline in medication errors,” she said.

These kind of outcomes highlight the need for the health system to focus on long-term benefits rather than immediate financial returns.

Sullivan also noted that studies have shown that facilities with higher digital health maturity saw lower staff turnover, fewer medication complications, and reduced hospital-acquired infections. 

"The higher your digital maturity, the better your system outcomes," she explained.

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