Distinction between EHR and EMR

I didn’t know there was one, but according to the Health Information and Management Systems Society, there is! Read about that difference here.

Smartphones a precursor to EMR’s

A recent survey by Epocrates found that medical app’s on smartphones are being used by an increasingly older group of doctors.

As a younger generation medico I find this both interesting and true. Since my first year as a medical student I have seen a definite increase in the number of senior doctors carrying smartphones – most notably iphones in tha past year. It is actually one of the few things senior doctors will stop to chit-chat with me about. When they see I carry a Palm, they ask about it’s features and the medical applications I use. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know my name or care!

This article, http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/235750/topic/WS_HLM2_TEC/Killer-Smartphone-Apps-for-OntheGo-Physicians.html, also explains that US physicians are much more willing to adopt smartphones than EMR’s.

As EMR’s move onto smartphones however, and the concept of digitising records and using web technology grows, adoption of EMR’s in practices will hopefully follow a close second!