Getting the most out of your mobile EHR

While many practices have been using electronic health records for a while now, some are just now transitioning or updating to mobile EHR features. Mobile EHR systems can greatly increase the connectivity and accessibility of the clinician for optimizing patient care. Additionally, many features of the mobile system can increase productivity and ease of use for clinicians.

However, many clinicians are not getting the most out of their mobile EHR, simply due to lack of knowledge, experience with the system and being set in old ways of documentation. Here are four tips to ensure you are using the benefits of mobile EHR to its full potential.

Participate in vendor demonstrations or online education portals

If your practice has been utilizing mobile EHR systems for a while, but isn’t fully comfortable with its features, consider contacting the vendor to see what forms of training are available. Consider scheduling a live demonstration with a vendor representative for your staff. Otherwise, see what resources are available through the vendor’s online portal. There may be advanced or updated features which the clinicians are unaware of.

Recommended reading: find a mobile EHR that suits you with our completely up-to-date EHR vendor directory.

Sync mobile devices and update software regularly

It is important that mobile devices are synced regularly in order to ensure that all users have up-to-date access to the most current patient information. This is important when coordinating care between disciplines, such as nursing, physicians and therapists. Additionally, participate in regularly scheduled maintenance and software updates. For many mobile systems, this means once weekly system downloads and updates through the network. If the clinicians are not diligent about updates, they may be missing out on new features or slow system operations.

Practice makes perfect

In order to get the most out of mobile EHR systems, it is important to fully commit to using them. Some clinicians use mobile devices only when in a pinch or when away from the office. If you make them commit to using mobile devices at all times, they will get more comfortable with the system and have continuous access to important information. Additionally, mobile devices offer quick access to imaging and lab results, which can make sharing information with patients very quick and easy. The more hands on the clinician is with the device, the more proficient he or she will be when using it.

Fully participate in training during implementation

It is very easy to think that you can ‘wing it’ when it comes to implementing mobile EHR systems. Although this may be true, it is important to realize that you may be missing out on some of the best features of your mobile EHR system without even knowing it. Try to make a point of fully engaging in initial training sessions, making it a priority to learn the system inside out. This will lead to more efficient documentation and ease of use in practice.