Despite numerous governmental schemes like National Rural Health Mission (NRLM), there remains a huge gap in rural populations being able to access health care facilities regularly and seamlessly. Numerous factors like unavailability of professional health care workers, long distances, shortage of electricity, poor economic conditions, and lack of awareness contribute to increasing the health divide between rural India and urban India.
Unlike anywhere else in the world, 70% of the Indian population resides in rural areas. Around 750 million people suffer from chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, arthritis, etc. Hence, it becomes difficult for a few doctors posted in rural areas to monitor many patients regularly.
Often patients also find it difficult to visit the healthcare facility as and when required because of the long distances between their house and the nearest healthcare facility. Additionally, poor economic conditions do not permit them to spend on their health.
Although rural clinics promise free-of-charge treatment to patients, factors like inadequate health care facilities, lack of medicines and trained professionals, doctor absenteeism, etc., hamper the process. Those few who manage to spend on private health facilities are further pushed into poverty and a cruel debt cycle.
In this grim scenario, digitalization and the advancement of technology are a small ray of hope. Electronic medical records (EMR) and patient management softwares are now allowing doctors to manage a large footfall of patients in a rural clinic.
What is Electronic Medical Record?
EMR can be understood as the digital version of traditional patient paper charts used in clinics and hospitals. Just like patient charts, EMR also contains all the information about patients, like medical conditions, diagnoses, treatment plans, etc.
Paper charts pose a risk of being lost or damaged over time. This is a major challenge for doctors in rural areas due to a lack of manpower to help them manage all their resources. EMR and other patient management software solve this problem for them.
Through this, they can track a patient’s record and other relevant data anytime, anywhere.
HealthPlix provides one of the top 10 patient management softwares in India. Their EMR is AI-powered which comes with multiple functionalities catering to more than 16 specialties.
Additionally, the HealthPlix EMR is also offered in an app version. Once doctors download the app on their smartphones, it enables them to provide their patients with a much more nuanced and quicker patient experience, thus increasing daily consultation footfall in the long run.