Doctors, nurses and clinical staff will lead efforts to transform the electronic health records at Penn Medicine, recognizing them as a tool just as important as scalpels to modern health care delivery. Newswise (PHILADELPHIA) Each year, advances make medical devices safer and propel the development of ever-more targeted drugs and precise surgeries. Digital health technology is also emerging as a force to revolutionize patient care. Penn Medicine is driving the trend with an ambitious new plan to transform electronic health records (EHRs) turning them into more streamlined, interactive, smarter tools that ease the work of clinicians, expedite care, and drive the best possible patient outcomes.We recognize that EHRs are no longer just part of how clinical care is documented, but they are central to how clinical care is delivered, said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of Penns Perelman School of Medicine. Increasingly, health information technology plays a foundational role in each domain of our work: patient care, educating the next generation of physicians and scientists, and biomedical research. Electronic health records innovations are key to advancing our impact in each of those missions.Many clinicians today view EHRs as static, digital remakes of paper charts that can increase work load, contribute to burnout and create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care. To address those issues head-on, Penn Medicine leadership will seek input and support from within its walls to make EHRs more clinician-friendly as a key requirement for better patient care.

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