Benefits of Using an Electronic-Medical-Record in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review

AbstractLow quality of care is a problem for many United States (U.S.) emergency departments (E.D.). The use of electronic medical records (EMR) with quick embedded tools, treatment plans, and protocols decrease E.D. overcrowding, reduce boarding time, to approximate the 4- hour recommendation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and improve quality of care. The project question asked whether a systematic review of EMRs with quick embedded tools, treatment plans, and protocols decreased overcrowding and boarding time, and improved E.D. quality care. This systematic review used the Johns Hopkins Model to answer the project question by guiding selection, evaluation, and assessment of best evidence to answer the project question. The evidence guiding this project was obtained via the Walden University library databases and included 31 articles from CINAHL & MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interactive Data Base Systems, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Databases. Results supported usage of E.D. EMRs with quick embedded tools, treatment plans, and protocols to reduce E.D. patient overcrowding, and improve E.D. boarding time. Additionally, improved quality care was supported by EMRs, with embedded quick embedded tools, treatment plans, and protocols, through improved clinical decision making, increased quality of patient diagnosis, and increased timeliness of diagnosis. This enabled more effective decision-making in patient care, improved patient safety, and enhanced satisfaction. Using EMRs with embedded quick tools, treatment plans, and protocols can therefore contribute to social change by improving patient health through improved quality E.D. care