What Is Electronic Health Records Software?

As technology continues to advance, electronic health records are becoming an increasingly popular tool in a variety of settings. But what is this software exactly, how does it work and what is it used for? In this article, we take a closer look at what it involves and how it may benefit your organisation.

What are electronic health records? 

Put simply, electronic health records are an alternative to traditional paper medical records. They contain up-to-date information about a person’s medical history, including past and present treatment information, all of which is stored electronically in one central database. 

Electronic health records software is widely recognised within the NHS and across privatised healthcare organisations. This software provides healthcare professionals with an easy and convenient way to access the information they need regarding their patients. It allows physicians from different departments, or even across different practices and hospitals, to seamlessly communicate in order to coordinate the appropriate care for patients.

That being said, electronic health records software is not just utilised within the healthcare industry. It is used within a variety of other sectors too - including schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). Within educational settings, electronic health records software can help staff to more easily and accurately record, monitor and analyse student injuries, illnesses and mental health, as well as medication administration, medical conditions and more. In turn, this serves to create a safe place for students to learn and grow.

How do electronic health records work?

In a school or MAT setting, electronic health records software works to provide users with a paperless and centralised way to keep student medical records up to date. Both staff and parents can use the system to review information and to update and edit details where necessary. In this way, the software serves to enhance parental communication with teachers and other school personnel when it comes to the health and wellbeing of pupils. 

Digital records are also much easier to organise and search than their paper equivalents, and unlike paper records, digital information can be accessed anywhere, on or off campus, using an authorised device. 

Crucially, this type of software is often password protected. This means that the information captured via the software is stored safely and securely - a necessity when it comes to the handling of confidential and personal medical data. 

How are electronic health records used?

The truth is, electronic health records software can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the capabilities of the specific software in question.

At Medical Tracker, we incorporate the use of electronic health records software as part of our cloud-based system. There are many useful features of our system, all of which have been designed to provide a simple, easy-to-use platform to make schools and MATs safer and more efficient.

When using this software, staff and parents share access to a student’s full medical history. This can include important notes regarding existing medical conditions, allergies, medications and emergency life-saving information. It provides remote parental authorisation for the safe administration of specific medications or treatments, and gives users the ability to keep track of expiring medicines. Users can record and track injuries and incidents, and they can automatically inform parents of such incidents too.

This software can also be used to record incidents to support Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), identify patterns in injuries and illnesses and highlight safeguarding concerns. In addition, staff can record and monitor student mental health concerns, both on an individual pupil by pupil basis and school-wide.

Staff can keep track of first aid qualification training and manage access levels for personnel including teachers, assistants, midday supervisors and wrap-around care team members.