Form filling in hospitals is very common. When a patient comes to the hospital, he/she has to fill the form. This form asks about the personal information of the patient. So, it needs to be taken care of well to make sure that the information remains secure. If the information is not protected properly then, it can be misused. To avoid this kind of risk, the healthcare industry needs to use secure means of storing patients’ records. So, replacing physical forms with electronic patient forms in US can be helpful.
Many healthcare providers have started using electronic health records. They say that these new patient forms are far better than the physical ones. With physical forms, doctors have to wait a long to see the patient records. Whereas, electronic or new patient forms have helped doctors to access patient records without waiting for long. They can access the HL7 data and provide treatment to patients accordingly. Although physical forms have helped a lot in hospitals or clinics, now its time for some change.
In the modern age of technology, the drawbacks of paper forms can not be ignored. No one can deny that paper records are insecure. So, it is not easy to justify the use of this old-fashioned method of maintaining patient medical records. On the other hand, using electronic health records provides security and is reliable too. By using HL7 data, doctors can exchange records instantly. So, keep reading this article if you want to know why there is a need to say goodbye to traditional paper forms.
Digital Patient Forms or Paper Forms?
When there are more drawbacks than benefits, then it is better to avoid using such a thing. When it comes to paper forms, you have to ask the patient to provide personal information. Why not use a better option when you can? Paper forms are not secure anymore. To be honest, they were never but there was no option except to use them. But now, digital forms are available and they can take care of the information of patients in a better way.
Moreover, digital forms allow healthcare providers to control the extra expenses. You know that paper forms are available in large amounts in every clinic and hospital. These do not come free, you have to spend money to buy the paper first. Well, this is not it. After buying papers, you have to print them and that costs money too. On the other hand, the use of digital forms eliminates these expenses. There is no need to buy or print forms anymore.
There are many benefits that digital forms provide. Besides healthcare providers, they are easy to use for patients as well. Here are some benefits that make digital patient forms better than traditional ones. Have a look at them:
Authorized Users can Access
Hospitals must take care of the information on a patient form. It contains sensitive information that can cause problems for the patients if get released. If you talk about paper forms, they are easy to access for everyone. However, these are placed in cabinets that have locks still, these locks are easy to open. Whereas, the use of digital patient forms secures the patient’s information. Only authorized users can access them when required.
Secure and Reliable
As the information of patients is sensitive so, it is required to protect it with reliable means. Paper forms are neither reliable nor secure. They do not contain any passwords to challenge an unauthorized person who is trying to access them. Whereas, digital forms are secure as they are encrypted and not everyone can access them. So, if you are looking to choose a reliable option to secure patient information then, digital forms are a good option.
Improves Efficiency
No one likes to go through slow processes. Usually, the processes inside hospitals and clinics are slow. There can be many reasons for this but if you think about paper forms then, it can also be a reason. Instead, if you use digital forms then, you can improve the overall processes and efficiency as well.
Improves Patient Experience
The primary objective of healthcare providers is to improve the quality of care. Surely, the use of paper forms can not help in this. Whereas, digital forms can improve the patient experience. When EHR is there, patients do not have to carry their medical records with them. Moreover, they can fill the form without touching the paper and pen as well.
