Abstract: Several designs of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have been implemented in both developed and developing countries. The adoption of EHR systems is imperative as it can aid clinicians to monitor the adherence and also avoid the risk of getting infected as well as providing quality health care and information. This paper aims at reviewing the possibilities of using electronic data processing platforms in providing rapid solutions to curb the spread of infectious diseases in Africa. Information used in this review paper was mainly obtained from scientific electronic academic journals. Most significant challenges faced in recording and reviewing the information of Ebola patients are created during the isolation and treatment of these patients at the specialized installations, which are classified as Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) with rigorous infection control requirements. More significantly, health-related problems could potentially be resolved using EHR systems with additional benefits for research, surveillance and patient care. EHRs/EMRs can reduce human contact during the spread of highly infectious diseases like Ebola. However, further researches should be conducted to ascertain the prospect of using technology specifically EHRs or Electronic Paperless Platforms (EPP) in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in Africa.
Keywords: Health Records; Infectious Diseases; Medical Records; Health Informatics; Ebola; HIV/AIDS; Africa.
Title: Electronic Health Records as an emergency tool for rapid assessment of highly infectious diseases in Africa
Author: Joseph Owusu-Marfo, Zhou Lulin, Henry Asante Antwi
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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