Medical Record Facility in Criminal Justice Systems

Mar 16
17:41

2013

Andy R Robert

Andy R Robert

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Maintaining the health record of any individual is challenging enough, but providing for it as part of corrections management functioning under criminal justice systems can be really daunting.

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Maintaining the health record of any individual is challenging enough,Medical Record Facility in Criminal Justice Systems Articles but providing for it as part of corrections management functioning under criminal justice systems can be really daunting. This necessitates a set of software tools purpose-built for the specific requirements of the legal framework and the kind of corrections facility in which they would be installed. If the electronic health records systems of corrections are not managed without even the slightest of sloppiness, it can mean a lot of risks to the offender, the community, the care givers and the corrections officers.

The offender needs to continuously receive the right treatment and for this, the electronic health records systems of the correctional facility should work without fail. It needs to be tailored according to the specific requirements of the corrections which may be one of a kind. What needs to be ensured, by having a comprehensive set of electronic tools and software, is that no patient profile or even a health problem is failed to be recorded. The integrated process of intake would ensure that the problem of admissions getting lost or being duplicated never occurs.

Furthermore, the operations in the corrections should be compliant with the medical standards stipulated by NCCHC and ACA. Efficient communication can then occur between the medical staff and agency staff of the corrections facility. This would be undertaken in a manner that neither breaches offender privacy nor compromises staff security. Apart from simply maintenance of records, the demands of criminal justice systems also need to be met by electronic medical records system of corrections. This is where the scheduling functionality of these tools comes in.

The internal or external appointments for medical or health check-ups of the offenders should not come into conflict with court appointments or other programs. The inmates need to be tracked instantaneously whenever needed, and for this, there should be special provisions in the software applications in place. Moreover, such a facility needs to be enterprise class with full capability for exchange of data. The software tools with XML functionality enabled can do just that for you.

Thus, maintaining medical efficiency despite the complexities involved in a corrections facility is the demanding task before every corrections facility. The electronic health record facility under criminal justice systems should include the capabilities for initial health screening, health summary, sick call scheduling, appointment scheduling, physician ordering, Medical Administration Record, Tests and Immunizations, drug interaction, and workflow triggers.