Family Health

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Electronic medical records for your family’s health

Are you that familiar with electronic medical records? What most people don’t understand is what the benefits of electronic medical records really is and the truth is that there are a lot of benefits. The first thing I want you to understand is there are both upsides and downsides to electronic medical records but the fact of the matter is that the difference is 98% good things and 2% bad things regarding electronic records.

Cheaper storage – The first benefit is that the storage is much cheaper. What most people don’t realize is it literally costs medical facilities millions of dollars every year just to hold all the files from present and past patients. Simply using electronic medical records every facility could save around 7% each year.

Efficient – When it comes to the storage of medical images having them as an electronic record really saves time and makes everything more efficient. What most people don’t understand is that medical facilities don’t just have files for routine checkups, they also have images and x-rays in their files.

Improved care – Did you know that the reason some doctors are able to determine a problem so quickly is because they often times have help or notes that they can use? This is one of the great benefits of electronic medical records, not only do they store records for you but medical professionals can access notes that they have from others that might benefit you.

Less errors – Something that is great is the fact that there will be less errors in the medical field. What most people don’t know is that there are many people out there that have illegible handwriting and if there is a nurse or doctor with bad handwriting then it could alter so many things. One thing that people get mixed up a lot is weight of patients and different allergies. The nice thing about having everything electronic is that these errors will dramatically be reduced.

There is a lot of discussion in the world going on right now about umbilical cord blood and stem cell research. Much of it is surrounding the collection and storage of cord blood, because of its strong value for use in transplants and to aid in the cure of many blood and immune-system related genetic diseases, cancers, and disorders. Cord blood is the human blood that is extracted from the umbilical cord after a child is born.

Stem cells taken from cord blood of an individual have the potential to treat those same individuals using their own cells autologously (ie. when the cells are collected from the same patient on whom they will be used) later on in life, if they are unfortunate enough to develop a condition. Storing your own cells, it is suggested, provides a better chance for that individual to survive.

The problem with these theories though, is that many seek to exploit the technology and information, suggesting that it might be in people’s best interest to secure cord blood to be able to used later on. Although it hasn’t been proven entirely successful, and that there would only be a small percentage likely to be able to take advantage of the services, still there are many who believe that the process or storing and collecting cord believe is vital to the survival of many, and therefore is a more than worthwhile pursuit.

While we don’t fully understand the complete value of stem cells and cord blood, it is believed that by keeping the cells, it increases the chances and opportunities to cure diseases and save lives.