A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SEARCH TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS

Abstract

ABSTRACT:
Healthcare institutions produce enormous volumes of data at an accelerating rate, creating both opportunities and challenges. The rapid expansion of unstructured clinical text has significantly increased the size of electronic health record (EHR) repositories. Patient medical records are extensively available and typically include essential clinical details such as vital signs, medication histories, demographic data, diagnostic examinations, treatment plans, progress notes, risk assessments, immunization records, allergy information, imaging reports, and laboratory results. These data are collected from multiple sources, including administrative systems for billing and care coordination, patient-reported surveys, and clinical documentation. All such information is stored within electronic medical databases.
Healthcare professionals use various terms—such as electronic health records, computerized patient records, and digital medical records—to refer to these systems. Despite their importance, retrieving relevant medical information from EHRs remains a complex process that demands high accuracy and efficiency. Furthermore, access to certain patient data is restricted due to privacy and confidentiality requirements, necessitating appropriate authorization. This study reviews existing research on EHR data retrieval, examining different search engines, information retrieval approaches, and techniques used to access healthcare data stored in medical databases. In addition, it highlights the key challenges and limitations associated with EHR search and retrieval processes.