Electronic medical records (EMRs) are often thought of as digital filing cabinets: a place to store clinical notes, prescriptions, test results and patient information. However, research into how Nurse Practitioners use EMRs suggests that clinical software can play a much more active role in healthcare. Instead of simply documenting what happened during a consultation, clinicians can use their systems to support preventive care, follow-up, care coordination and population health management.[1]
How Nurse Practitioners Use Electronic Medical Records
One of the more interesting findings from research into electronic medical records is that different healthcare professionals can use the same technology in very different ways.
A study conducted in British Columbia, Canada, examined how Nurse Practitioners (NPs) used EMRs in primary care. Researchers interviewed 15 Nurse Practitioners to understand how electronic medical records supported their clinical practice.[1]
The findings showed that NPs were not using their EMRs simply as a place to record information. Instead, they used clinical software to support individual patient management as well as the management of groups of patients across their practice.[1]
This included using clinic notes, reminders, tasks and care plans to support individual patient wellness and chronic disease management. At the clinic level, practitioners used reports to help manage groups of patients.[1]
Key insight: An EMR can be more than a record of what has happened. When used effectively, it can help clinicians identify what needs to happen next.
From Recordkeeping to Proactive Care
Traditionally, clinical software has often been viewed as a digital version of the paper medical record. A clinician sees a patient, documents the consultation and stores the information for future reference.
However, the Nurse Practitioners in the Canadian study described a more proactive approach to using their EMRs. Their use of notes, reminders, tasks and care plans supported ongoing patient wellness and chronic disease management rather than simply documenting individual consultations.[1]
This is particularly important for patients with chronic conditions or complex healthcare needs. For these patients, good healthcare is rarely about a single consultation. It involves monitoring, follow-up, preventive care and regular review over months or years.
In this environment, the value of clinical software is not simply its ability to store information. Its value comes from helping clinicians turn that information into action.
Using Reminders to Support Preventive Care
One of the key themes identified in the study was the use of reminders and other EMR functions to support patient wellness and disease management.[1]
For a busy healthcare practice, keeping track of every patient who needs follow-up can be difficult. Important tasks can be buried within thousands of individual patient records, particularly when clinicians are managing large patient populations.
Recall and reminder functionality can provide a safety net by bringing relevant patients back to the attention of the practice.
Instead of relying solely on a patient to remember that they are due for a review, the practice can use its clinical system to help identify when action may be required.
This approach is particularly relevant to preventive healthcare, where identifying patients who may benefit from screening, monitoring or follow-up can help practices take a more proactive approach to care.
Why it matters: Preventive healthcare depends on more than identifying what a patient needs. Practices also need reliable ways to ensure that important follow-up does not get missed.
Managing Chronic Conditions Over Time
The use of EMRs to support ongoing care is particularly relevant to chronic disease management.
Conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and chronic kidney disease require ongoing monitoring rather than treatment during a single appointment.
Patients may need regular pathology, medication reviews, monitoring of clinical measurements and follow-up appointments. Keeping track of these requirements manually can create additional administrative work for healthcare teams.
The Nurse Practitioner study found that clinicians used EMR functions including notes, reminders, tasks and care plans to support wellness and chronic disease management at the individual patient level.[1]
Clinical software can therefore help healthcare professionals maintain a longer-term view of a patient’s care rather than focusing only on the most recent consultation.
For Nurse Practitioners, who may manage patients with long-term and complex health needs, this can be particularly valuable.
The underlying principle is simple: healthcare software should help clinicians manage the patient’s health journey, not just document individual consultations.
Using Clinical Data to Find Patients Who Need Care
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the study was how Nurse Practitioners used their EMRs to think beyond individual patients.
The researchers found that practitioners used reports at the clinic level to support the management of patient populations.[1]
This represents an important shift in the way clinical software can be used.
Instead of looking only at the patient currently sitting in front of them, clinicians can use information stored across their patient population to identify groups that may require attention.
For example, a practice could potentially identify patients who are overdue for a particular review or investigate a group of patients who meet specific clinical criteria.
The broader concept is supported by research into the use of primary care electronic records in Australia. The Medical Journal of Australia has highlighted how primary care clinical data can support quality improvement, research, surveillance, service planning and the identification of patients who may benefit from preventive care.[2]
The more effectively practices can search and report on their data, the greater the opportunity to move from reactive healthcare towards proactive patient management.
Why This Matters for Australian Healthcare
The findings from this Canadian study are particularly interesting in the context of Australia’s changing healthcare landscape.
Australian healthcare is increasingly focused on prevention, chronic disease management, coordinated care and making better use of health information.
Australian primary care practices generate significant amounts of clinical data every day. Patient histories, diagnoses, medications, pathology results, clinical measurements and other information can provide valuable insights when they are accessible and appropriately used.
Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has highlighted the potential of primary care electronic records to support research, quality improvement, evidence-based clinical care, population health research and better understanding of patients’ journeys through the healthcare system.[2]
However, the same research also highlights the importance of privacy, security, governance and appropriate data use when clinical information is used beyond direct patient care.[2]
This means the clinical software used by a practice can serve multiple purposes. It can support the clinician during an individual consultation, while also providing information that can help the practice understand and manage its wider patient population.
From individual care to population health: The information recorded during everyday consultations can also help practices identify trends, care gaps and patients who may benefit from additional follow-up.
The Role of Digital Health in Care Coordination
Clinical software does not operate in isolation. Modern healthcare increasingly depends on information being shared between different providers and healthcare settings.
A patient may receive care from a general practitioner, Nurse Practitioner, specialist, allied health professional, hospital and other healthcare providers throughout their healthcare journey.
Australia’s digital health infrastructure is designed to improve the availability of important clinical information and support continuity of care. Australia’s My Health Record system provides authorised healthcare providers with access to key information including pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, prescription and dispensing information, immunisation details and hospital discharge summaries.[3]
The Australian Government also notes that electronic health records can improve access to up-to-date health information, support care coordination and help health professionals make informed decisions about patient care.[4]
For clinicians working in multidisciplinary environments, having access to relevant information can make it easier to understand a patient’s history and make informed decisions.
Effective clinical software therefore needs to do more than store information. It needs to help healthcare professionals access, interpret and act on that information as part of a broader care process.
Supporting the Growing Role of Nurse Practitioners
As Nurse Practitioners take on greater responsibilities within Australian healthcare, the way clinical software supports their workflows is likely to become increasingly important.
Nurse Practitioners can work across a range of healthcare environments and may have a strong focus on chronic disease management, health promotion, patient education, care planning and collaborative care.
These workflows can place different demands on clinical software compared with more traditional consultation models.
The Canadian researchers specifically identified the way NPs use EMR features at both individual and clinic levels, demonstrating that the needs of these clinicians can extend beyond simple clinical documentation.[1]
This highlights an important point for healthcare technology providers: clinical software should support the way healthcare professionals actually work, rather than forcing every profession into the same workflow.
As Australia’s healthcare workforce evolves, software will need to evolve with it.
What Makes Clinical Software Truly Valuable?
The Nurse Practitioner study provides a useful reminder that the value of an EMR is not necessarily found in the amount of information it can store.
Its real value comes from what clinicians can do with that information.
A well-designed clinical system can help a healthcare professional understand a patient’s history, identify outstanding tasks, manage follow-up and find patients who may require additional care.
At a broader level, clinical data can also support quality improvement, research and population health activities when it is collected, governed and used appropriately.[2]
Ultimately, the goal is to make clinical information useful rather than simply making it available.
Evolving EMR use by NPs
Electronic medical records have come a long way from their origins as digital filing cabinets.
The experience of Nurse Practitioners in the Canadian study demonstrates how clinical software can become an active part of patient management, supporting reminders, care plans, chronic disease management and population-level activities.[1]
As Australian healthcare continues to focus on prevention, chronic disease management and coordinated care, these capabilities are likely to become increasingly important.
The most valuable clinical systems will not simply tell clinicians what happened during the last consultation. They will help them understand what needs to happen next.
Learn more about how Zedmed supports Australian healthcare practices →
References
- Borycki EM, Sangster-Gormley E, Schreiber R, Thompson J, Griffith J, Feddema A, Kuo A. How are Electronic Medical Records Used by Nurse Practitioners? Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 2014;205:196-200. View study →
- Canaway R, Boyle DIR, Manski-Nankervis JE, Bell J, Hocking JS, Clarke K, Clark M, Gunn JM, Emery JD. Gathering data for decisions: best practice use of primary care electronic records for research. Medical Journal of Australia. 2019;210(6):S12-S16. Read the article →
- Australian Digital Health Agency. My Health Record for healthcare providers. Australian Government. View resource →
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Electronic health records. Australian Government. View resource →
