The use of open source electronic medical records in an urban ED in Kumasi-Ghana

In a busy emergency department (ED), missing patient medical records is a common complaint to contend with. Electronic medical records (EMR) may be one useful way of ensuring patient record integrity and confidentiality. KATH ED sees 28,000 patients a year and integrity of patient records is a major challenge. This study sought to improve the integrity of medical records within the ED and efficiency of patient flow within the ED Methods: Regular panel meetings of emergency physicians, IT specialists and biostatisticians were held from February, 2012 to February, 2013. Open source software, Openemr was adapted in the creation of electronic medical records for the ED of KATH in February, 2012. Changes were made to the software included registration and patient search, triage board, doctor’s notes whiteboard to reflect the pattern of practice in KATH ED. Results: The EMR allows registration, triage and the entire medical records to be stored on patients. 12,000 Patient demographics have been migrated on to the EMR. Emergency physicians and charge nurses are able to monitor patient flow in the ED. Conclusion: Open source medical records may be the most appropriate and cost-effective software to adapt for keeping patient records electronically in a low resource setting. Further studies need to be conducted to demonstrate how EMR may affect the pace of work in the ED