Saya kongsikan berita dari Bernama berkenaan kepentingan pengurusan rekod perubatan yang cekap dan teratur. Menurut Bernama, pengurusan rekod perubatan boleh membantu pusat perubatan memberikan khidmat terbaik serta membantu memberi rawatan yang tepat kepada pesakit. Bernama telah mendapatkan ulasan dari pakar-pakar akademik dalam bidang pengurusan rekod di UiTM, antaranya Dr.Irwan, Dr.Azman dan Puan Nik Azliza.
OPTIMISING HEALTHCARE RESOURCES
THROUGH EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MEDICAL RECORDS
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Date: 21-07-2015
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Author: Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar
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KUALA LUMPUR,
July 21 (Bernama) -- The rapid growth of Malaysia's private
healthcare industry and medical tourism calls for more
efficient management of
patients' records and documents, said a Universiti
Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
academic.
The head of UiTM
Puncak Perdana campus' School of Records Management Studies
at the Faculty of Information Management, Dr Irwan
Kamaruddin Abd Kadir, said
with the growth in patient numbers, more medical records
have to be created and
maintained.
Medical records
do not only help doctors to prescribe appropriate treatments
but, when updated regularly, they also indicate the
patients' current health
status. The information provides for the proper monitoring
of the patients'
progress and medicines and treatments prescribed, even if
they are examined by
different doctors each time they undergo a medical
check-up.
ACCURATE
INFORMATION
Irwan
Kamaruddin said the rapid growth of the healthcare industry has
necessitated the creation of a new post at hospitals and
medical centres - that
of Medical Records Officer.
"In Malaysia, it is gaining wider
acceptance and many hospitals are
creating the post," he told Bernama.
He explained
that the rise in patient numbers and diversity in diseases
warranted effective and efficient management and
classification of records as
they allowed medical personnel to gain access to accurate
information and was
time-saving as well.
DOCUMENTS
CAN BE RETRIEVED FOR LEGAL PURPOSES
Irwan Kamaruddin
said immaculately maintained medical records could also
serve as sources of reference for medical researchers who
need full and
comprehensive information.
"UiTM
introduced the Records Management Programme (under the Faculty of
Information Management) to fulfil the requirements of the
medical industry in
Malaysia.
"The
signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UiTM and the
National Heart Institute (IJN) in 2014 showed that both
the university and the
industry viewed the management of medical records as
significant," he said.
IJN and UiTM had
signed the MoU on June 16 last year to encourage the
transfer of technology pertaining to the management of
health-related
information.
Meanwhile, three
senior lecturers from UiTM's School of Records Management
Studies concurred with Irwan Kamaruddin's views on the
importance of managing
medical records effectively, saying that these records
contained all the facts
and information on the patients' medical history.
Nik Azliza Nik
Ariffin said although patients' records were categorised as
confidential, information contained in these records could
be retrieved for the
purpose of carrying out research and administrative work,
as well as for the
compilation of health statistics.
EFFECTIVE
MANAGEMENT OF RECORDS
"Medical
practitioners should record the details of all their treatments and
prescriptions in full," said Nik Azliza Nik Ariffin,
adding that the patient's
medical record was also recognised by courts as evidence
should a doctor or
hospital face a lawsuit.
Her colleague,
Dr Azman Mat Isa said despite the advances made by medical
science, medical practioners and hospitals faced the risk
of being dragged to
court for alleged malpractice.
"In this
context, the patient's medical record comes in handy as it contains
information on the treatments prescribed. Hence, it's a
trustworthy source of
information," he said.
He also said
that the effective management of patients' records also
enabled
hospitals to run smoothly as the medical personnel have access
to accurate and
up-to-date data.
"The
availability of accurate clinical records will allow doctors to make
informed decisions in future," he added,
SHARING OF
MEDICAL INFORMATION
Azman also
suggested that risk management be incorporated into records
management, saying that such an approach was an effective
and holistic way for
hospitals to identify risks and deal with any eventuality.
Mohd Nizam
Yunus, also a senior lecturer, said although most hospitals
already had proper records management practices in place,
there was a need to
establish a medium through which all healthcare providers
- government and
private hospitals and clinics - could gain access to the
information.
"It
comes in useful when, for instance, a patient from a rural area has
to seek medical treatment in the city. Having access to
his patient's medical
history will allow the new doctor or specialist to
prescribe proper treatment
immediately, instead of doing it on a trial-and-error
basis," he explained.
When
systematically organised and maintained, medical records can ensure
optimum care for patients and even help to avert unwanted
lawsuits.
-- BERNAMA
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