Nursing Question
After reviewing this scenario, I found many cons and pros to the patient’s situation. One of the pros is that the patient may better comprehend her diagnosis and take charge of her treatment since she has access to a minimum of some of her test findings via her Personal Health Record (PHR). According to Hebda et al., “the PHR is a great tool for healthcare consumers to partner in their own care” (2019). Furthermore, by expressing her worries about not having access to her test results, the patient also encourages her doctor to investigate, which enables a more thorough understanding of the patient’s health status and may result in better treatment decisions.
As per the cons of the situation in the case study, only a subset of the test data is available to the patient, which might make it more difficult for her to comprehend her diagnosis and course of therapy. Additionally, inadequate information may make it more difficult for medical staff to decide on a patient’s course of treatment. In fact, dispersed test findings across several healthcare institutions’ systems may result in coordination problems and fragmented care. Due to this fragmentation, the patient’s medical history and care plan may have gaps. Igoe explains that “for patients, health literacy refers to their health knowledge base and their ability to incorporate new information into this knowledge base” (2018). With that being said, inadequate access to test findings might cause patients and medical staff to misunderstand or misinterpret the data, which could lower the quality of care.
Patient portals and PHRs might incorporate certain safeguards to assist patients and medical professionals in ensuring safety, and integrating all tests into one system is key. Patient portals and PHRs often include instructional materials to assist patients in comprehending their health information and learning how to interpret it appropriately. Education is crucial in this regard.
Certain PHRs and patient portals are connected with the EHR systems of healthcare institutions, enabling better care coordination and more thorough access to medical information. The patient’s preferences, the ease of access, and the accuracy of the information supplied all play a role in whether or not getting PHRs is acceptable. According to Strauss, “As they provide access, organizations must be aware of physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect patients’ health information: and to make it easy for patients to sign up for access through secure patient portals, organizations must consider privacy safeguards (2015). Giving patients access to their PHRs generally encourages patient empowerment, autonomy, and engagement—all crucial elements of patient-centered care.
Patients encounter some challenges without access to all PHRs. Their perception of their medical history can be incomplete, which could jeopardize the consistency and standard of care. In addition, the absence of comprehensive PHRs may make it more difficult for medical personnel to coordinate patient care and make well-informed decisions. This might lead to a higher chance of medical mistakes like redundant testing or inconsistent treatment regimens. Access to all PHRs is necessary for patients to feel more equipped to make decisions about their treatment with the coordination of medical professionals for advice and information. According to Igoe, healthcare providers must ensure that all patients can communicate with their providers and access their personal health information (2018). In general, encouraging patient safety, continuity of treatment, and patient involvement in healthcare decision-making requires guaranteeing complete access to PHRs and resolving issues related to fragmented healthcare information.
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