The Most Common Charting (EMR) Systems Used By Nurses In The USA
With more than 95% of hospitals in the USA now using an online charting system, otherwise known as an electronic medical record (EMR), you may want to become more familiar with the most common charting systems used in America as you prepare to become a Medliant USRN.
Gone are the days of endlessly attempting to locate a paper chart that a provider may have in their office or perhaps may have been taken off of the unit with the patient for a diagnostic procedure. An EMR has now virtually replaced paper patient charts in the vast majority of hospitals in the USA, and has become a convenient way for medical providers to locate, communicate, record, and review important information regarding the patients that they care. This includes information regarding the patients demographics, diagnosis and medical history, medication administration record, laboratory tests and results, diagnostic imaging, vaccination history, advanced care directive, insurance provider(s), and much more.
An EMR system also allows for medical organizations to better audit who is accessing what information regarding patients to better ensure that medical providers are only reviewing charts of patients that they are assigned to and that they are only looking at information necessary to provide care. This allows for better privacy and protection of personal information for patients and for any violations to be addressed accordingly. EMR systems also allow for faster communication between the interdisciplinary team, such as when a new medication order to entered. The pharmacy will be notified immediately and the nurse is then able to track if the order has been reviewed and verified by a pharmacist, and if the medication has been sent for delivery to the unit. This saves time from previously having to fax written orders to different departments and call an in-patient pharmacy to locate a medication. Another example of convenience is when blood work is ordered. If the patient is charted as having a phlebotomist draw their blood work, the phlebotomy team will automatically be notified of this new order and when to arrive to draw the blood sample, if it is timed (e.g. drug level). If the nurse is to draw the blood work, from a central line for example, the nurse can easily print the lab labels, with information available on them regarding the sample tubing and blood volume required.
The top two EMR patient charting systems used in the USA include Epic Systems Corporation and Oracle Cerner, combining for approximately 60% of all EMRs used in America according to Definitive Healthcare (2022).
1. Epic Systems Corporation
Epic is the most commonly used EMR patient charting system in the USA today and is the fastest growing in terms of market share. In 2009, Epic was used in approximately 5% of all hospitals in the USA and today it is found in more than 36% of hospitals according to Definitive Healthcare (2022). Epic offers a MyChart feature, used by more than 150 million people in the USA, allowing patients to access their medical information from any computer or phone at any time. This allows patients to better manage their health information, schedule medical appointments, refill prescriptions, communicate with their medical team, and track test results. For nurses, Epic allows staff to easily navigate through patient charts, and enter information into their flowsheets, saving them time compared to using a paper charting system. If information needs to be flagged for other medical providers to review, such as an abnormal vital sign result, nurses can easily highlight various findings in the EMR to communicate this information quickly for the interdisciplinary team to see. A significant highlight of Epic is that it is streamlined and efficient for nurses to use.
2. Oracle Cerner
Similar to Epic, Oracle Cerner is also a cloud-based EMR system that offers mobile access to its platform for patients and is nursing friendly. Cerner is noted to be simple and easy to use, creating a user-friendly experience for both patients and medical staff. Cerner has been praised as being a strong EMR for ensuring HIPAA compliance, while also reducing the number of medical errors that take place.
