School Clinics And Electronic Medical Records

School Clinics’ EMR Systems provide a digitized, efficient solution for student (and even staff) healthcare. The National Association of School Nurses believes Electronic Health Records are “an essential tool for the 21st-century school nurse.” Furthermore, they think such systems have a significant positive impact on school-based healthcare.

Naturally, an EMR System can significantly increase productivity while reducing medical errors. For instance, medical staff can administer patient medications that don’t conflict with existing ones.

The information is recorded digitally, so it can save up on time, resources, and effort needed to fill up and file away medical documents.

But overall, the main objective of an EMR System is to assist medical staff in improving their healthcare services. So, School Clinic Nurses can enjoy the same benefits that staff of clinics and more extensive medical institutions enjoy via their records systems.

HOW CAN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS HELP SCHOOL CLINICS?

89.9% of physicians use an Electronic Medical or Health Records System. So, of course, a school’s Electronic Medical Records System does much the same as a standard system. In addition, however, it focuses on managing students’ health or medical records.

There are a few EMR Challenges nurses must contend with, but the benefits are well worth it. Ultimately, an EMR System can assist clinics in providing the best possible medical assistance as the situation requires.

But as a result, nurses can input and update their students’ health information and report any medical issues. Not only that, EMRs can even assist with and eliminate tedious hassles in management duties!

There are several benefits of Electronic Medical Health Systems for School Clinics:

BENEFITS OF EMR SYSTEMS FOR SCHOOL CLINICS

PROVIDES IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO STUDENT (AND STAFF) HEALTH RECORDS

Usually, an EMR System provides electronic forms that allow nurses to input information. For instance, an EMR can:

• • keep nurses informed about medical history, especially existing medical conditions like allergies;
• • track examinations, tests, immunizations, etc.; and
• • notify about annual physical exams.

Also, clinics can scan and upload paper documents — like medical certificates or prescriptions — to the system. Additionally, it’s easy for school healthcare staff to update the information whenever necessary.

Of course, there are a few must-have EMR Documents, such as Medical Certificates, Prescriptions, and Consent Forms.

Because the information on the EMR has been digitized before a student visit, a School Nurse can access and scan health records. Thus, they get the information they need almost immediately. As a result, clinics can provide more efficient and better-coordinated care for medical problems or emergencies.

Lastly, nurses can even look up emergency contact details for the appropriate situations.

CREATES SAFER, MORE RELIABLE PRESCRIPTIONS

Electronic Medical Records can make medications and prescribing them safer and much more efficient. After all, medication prescription and filling errors are common.

As the EMR has up-to-date health records, doctors can see a student’s treatment information. Afterward, they can prescribe the best possible medication for students.

In addition, prescriptions from the EMR are more legible. A doctor can print the prescription instead of physically writing it down. Then, the system can provide the form for printing.

Also, you can even record medication authorizations from a doctor if a student previously went to one concerning treatments or medicine. Then, the nurse can note the doctor’s medication remarks and act accordingly.

In addition to medical prescriptions, the EMR can assist with dosages.

TRACKS MEDICATION OR MEDICAL SUPPLIES

The Electronic Medical Records System isn’t solely for the benefit of the people in a particular school. So School Clinics can use their system to track medicine or medical supplies inventory.

Clinics can also incorporate data on student or teacher health conditions into supply tracking. The clinic can keep the necessary equipment or order specific medicine by identifying patients with particular care needs.

Thus, nurses can validate such supplies or medication with the EMR while lowering the possibility of errors. Additionally, they can see how much medication is released to patients from the total purchased supplies they currently have in stock. Notifications or reminders can tell the clinic when and what they need to restock.

As a result, clinics will stay prepared and provide more improved and efficient healthcare for student- or teacher patients at all times. Lastly, by the end of a particular period, medical staff can learn the school’s consumption rate of medications and make the necessary orders to cater to the trends.

DOCUMENTS, RECORDS, AND GENERATES HEALTH DOCUMENTATIONS FOR SCHOOL PATIENTS

Of course, an EMR allows the school’s medical staff to document the necessary health information. Then, they can also keep track of healthcare charts with the EMR System. Monitoring the overall health of students and staff can prove highly beneficial.

Additionally, because most healthcare documents are electronic, one doesn’t need to write any health reports, medical certificates, or prescriptions. On EMRs, the necessary forms are ready to be filled up.

Also, EMR-generated records are meant to be legible. Thus, data entry is simplified, and the school’s medical professional can simply print out the required EMR Documents whenever appropriate.

As a result, clinics can provide health reports for whatever purpose in a handful of clicks.

NOTIFIES PARENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF ABOUT MEDICAL CONCERNS

EMR Systems can be helpful to clinics as early as enrollment time. For example, physical exam records submitted to the school can help the clinic determine students’ medical concerns. Thus, early in the school year, nurses can record which students need more or specialized medical attention. In addition, the system can even find students to exempt from physical activity.

Another EMR advantage is that the healthcare process also engages the child’s parents. Firstly, parents can receive medication prescriptions from the clinic.

More importantly, the system can immediately notify parents about their sick or injured child. EMRs can be particularly helpful in light of the new normal. So if and when the student shows health issues related to COVID-19 or another prevailing illness, the system notifies the parents.

EMRs can definitely track health conditions and notify the clinic and later, the parents of any irregularities in the students’ temperatures.

As life returns to its old normal, the pandemic has taught us the importance of precautionary measures. EMR Systems have features that allow a school to monitor its students’ and staff’s health daily. Thus an EMR can provide contact tracing reports if there are any illnesses that might spread within the campus. As a result, the school can send those reports to the right departments.

Lastly, students may try to avoid attending classes with false sickness claims. So an added benefit of an EMR is discouraging students from making such claims, as the clinics can contact their parents.

KEEPS HEALTH INFORMATION PRIVATE

Ever since 2005, educational institutions have had 1,851 data breaches. So, your clinic must ensure that only authorized users should access such data.

School Clinics must safely process a student or staff member’s personal information to provide better healthcare. However, the school must ensure transparency for medical information whenever they can, even for young students.

Schools must ensure that their Electronic Medical Records comply with Data Privacy Laws. Thus, the school must have Data Privacy policies and procedures in place and do regular staff policy audits to ensure that they can act with those policies in mind.

An EMR System operates on hardware, software, and networks. Thus, the system must be kept secure using various measures, such as anti-virus and -malware software.

CONCLUSION

Electronic Medical Records streamlines the process of documenting student and staff medical data and reporting on it. In addition, such a feature can make School Nurses’ daily tasks more manageable. So, the school’s patients can benefit from an EMR.

Thus, authorized medical staff at the school can check on the health status of a particular patient — whether they’re a student or a staff member — and provide appropriate healthcare.

The system can conveniently inform clinic staff of immunizations, prescriptions, checkups, etc., anytime! And with the proper Data Privacy Measures, a School Nurse can securely chart and file data like patient medication or treatments.

With Electronic Medical Records in the Philippines, a school’s health records management has never been easier.