The electronic medical record: a definition and discussion.

The health care industry has had limited success in achieving some degree of an EMR in the past several years, and the industry has the potential to move even farther in the next decade. As standards begin to emerge and technologies conform to those standards, the industry will begin to see the evolution of a totally electronic patient record. Standard interfaces and hardware platforms, with software products designed to meet a standardized market need, will become more prevalent. Multifunction workstations, voice recognition, and other technological advancements will simplify the data-entry process for clinicians. Legal statutes that support automated records will be established and accepted by the courts, and optical disk image processing systems will take off as the storage medium of choice for the next generation. Because the EMR can provide the benefits outlined here, the health care industry must work together to ensure the success of this vision. As leaders in the health care information management arena, we need to participate in the realization of this ideal for the betterment of our patients, our health care organizations, and the entire health care delivery system.