#2

At Penn, many of my professors communicate and hand out assignments electronically using blackboard. Over the past month, I have received very few paper handouts in classes. I think that electronic academic databases are more organized and convenient; they are accessible from any computer, can be used at any hour of the day, and are much more organized than having a heap of papers on my desk in my dorm. If Penn can implement its academic records into an electronic database, why can’t medical records nationwide be put into some sort of database?

Think about how many difficulties doctors have when trying to communicate with each other about a common patient. One doctor may be at home, away from his medical records while the other doctor is standing over the patient wondering if they have any chronic conditions worth noting. What would remedy this situation? An electronic database!

How would this database save money? Firstly, instead of having to rely on the patient to relay their medical history every time they go to a doctor, the medical office or hospital can have access to a detailed and accurate medical history. Having access to such information gives them less chance at guessing and checking for symptoms and providing treatment options. Detailed information can provide a more personal diagnosis and treatment plan.

Some hospitals are already implementing data bases that can be shared over multiple institutions with just the click of a mouse. While this is only currently being done on a small-scale basis, these trials prove that having a national medical database for everyone in the US will provide less room for error, identify doctors if certain diseases are going are more than others, and most importantly, reduce health care costs.