What is an electronic health record (EHR)?

• A. A digital filing cabinet used in a single department.
• B. A simple patient chart stored on a local server.
• C. An enterprise-wide clinical information management system that provides secure online access to health care records.
• D. A printed record of patient visits stored in the department.

Answer: (C)

An electronic health record is an enterprise-wide clinical information management system that provides secure online access to health care records. It brings together a patient’s history, diagnoses, medications, lab results, imaging, and treatment plans so authorized clinicians can view and update information across all providers and settings. This enables continuity of care, reduces duplicate testing, and supports patient safety with real-time alerts and decision support. It isn’t just a digital filing system for one department, nor a simple chart stored on a local server, nor a printed record kept in the department. The key idea is secure, widespread access to a complete, integrated set of a patient’s health information across the organization.