Electronic Medical Record Alerts Warn Physicians about Hospitalized Patients with Serious Conditions

Electronic Medical Record Alerts Warn Physicians about Hospitalized Patients with Serious Conditions

According to a study, EMR-based alerts identify

are

invaluable patients

tools

with

to life-

threatening conditions and enable prompt therapeutic interventions.

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A study on using the electronic medical record (EMR) to successfully identify patients with potential for clinical deterioration highlights the significance of reliable emergency room medical transcription services. Patients who are hospitalized with serious conditions can get worse quickly and prompt identification and treatment is necessary to reduce the risk of mortality. In a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, researchers described how a real-time electronic medical record-based alert that they implemented could identify hospitalized patients at risk for mortality. This automated process continuously samples EMR data in real time and warns the physician about the patient’s risk for mortality, thereby enabling timely life-saving interventions.

The team developed and implemented an advanced algorithm that could identify at least two of the four systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria as well as at least one of 14 acute organ dysfunction (OD) parameters. The alert system was implemented in real-world settings that included small critical access facilities, mid-sized community hospitals, and academic teaching centers. The algorithm identified majority of the high-risk patients within 48 hours of admission. This ensured early and targeted medical intervention of life-threatening conditions like sepsis.

Sepsis is typically treated in intensive care unit by a specialist in emergency medicine. As sepsis can quickly cause organ damage and death, treatment should not be delayed.

Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock have a mortality rate of about 40%-60%.

Newborns and pediatric patients with sepsis have a mortality rate of 9%-36%. Risks of infection are greater among the elderly and people who have suppressed immune systems, cancer, or diabetes.

Accurate, consistent and prompt EMR-integrated data entry solutions are crucial for such automated clinical documentation tools to work effectively and quickly identify patients with medical conditions with high mortality rates. This is one of the reasons why busy emergency room specialists prefer to outsource their clinical documentation tasks. Established emergency room medical transcription companies leverage advanced technologies to help physicians minimize EMR data entry errors, manage their documentation burden, and improve patient outcomes.

www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com

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