EHR Database and Data Management Electronic health record (EHR) has, in the recent past, emerged as a crucial element in the management of patient data/information. The emergence of this crucial element is fueled by the increased measures by policymakers, researchers, healthcare providers and professionals, patients, and health insurers to enhance the delivery of healthcare services, particularly enhanced management of patient information. The adoption of electronic health records in the modern healthcare setting is attributable to their numerous benefits in comparison to the conventional ways of managing patient data. However, the use of EHR in the clinical setting requires developing suitable databases and utilizing appropriate data management processes. This paper discusses EHR database and data management for obesity, which is a public health concern.

Brief Description of the Patient Problem

An example of a clinically-based patient problem that would benefit from the use of a database management approach is obesity. Obesity is a multi-factorial condition that is characterized by increasing BMI, which is linked to increase in risk of mortality and disease burden (Wood et al., 2012). This patient problem has developed to reach epidemic levels in the United States since it affects approximately two-thirds of adults in the country. The condition is associated with greater risk for a series of co-morbidities and increased life expenditures in healthcare. Given its prevalence, healthcare professionals have found that dietary...

The use of this approach requires documenting critical information that would help the patient in managing the condition. Some of the information required for the patient to manage obesity includes patient demographics, problem list i.e. existing or historical medical data on co-morbidities, hospital visits, medication prescription orders, procedures, social history, laboratory test results, and list of medication (Wood et al., 2012). This information is crucial because it enables the healthcare provider to effectively assess the severity of the patient’s condition and the required treatment approaches for managing obesity.
Incorporating the Database and Healthcare Provider

As shown in the above discussion, the management of obesity requires the healthcare provider to access and manage various kinds of information relating to the patient. The diverse nature of this information implies that the healthcare provider requires a suitable framework for documenting and assessing patient data. The use of a database management approach would help in effective management of patient information relating to this condition. The database and healthcare provider can be effectively incorporated into this approach to help enhance patient outcomes. This would entail creating an…