Electronic health record

An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of electronically stored patient and population health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared through network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems or other information networks and exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information.

For several decades, EHRs have been touted as key to increasing quality of care. EHR combines all patients' demographics into a large pool, which assists providers in the creation of "new treatments or innovation in healthcare delivery" to improve quality outcomes in healthcare. Combining multiple types of clinical data from the system's health records has helped clinicians identify and stratify chronically ill patients. EHR can also improve quality of care through the use of data and analytics to prevent hospitalizations among high-risk patients.

EHR systems are designed to store data accurately and to capture a patient's state across time. It eliminates the need to track down a patient's previous paper medical records and assists in ensuring data is up-to-date, accurate, and legible. It also allows open communication between the patient and the provider while providing "privacy and security." EHR is cost-efficient, decreases the risk of lost paperwork, and can reduce risk of data replication as there is only one modifiable file, which means the file is more likely up to date. Due to the digital information being searchable and in a single file, EMRs (electronic medical records) are more effective when extracting medical data to examine possible trends and long-term changes in a patient. The widespread adoption of EHRs and EMRs may also facilitate population-based studies of medical records.