Implementing electronic medical records at outreach eye camps - A one year experience running title: EMR in eye camps

Background: Outreach eye camps are a successful model for eye care delivery. However, subsequent interventions and follow up visits require the same medical records at multiple camp locations. To facilitate this, we have implemented recording data using electronic medical records (EMR). Aims: To describe current process of conducting comprehensive eye camps with EMR Methods: Basic portable systems were set up the previous day and dismantled at the end of the camp. These included a Win 2003 Server integrated with 6 tablet PCs, 8 port switches and 1 wireless access point that connected the PCs to the LAN. Surgical details and follow up records of those requiring intervention were integrated into the same EMR sheet at the base hospital. Results: A total of 12 camps were conducted over a 1 year period from April 2010 to March 2011 using EMR. We examined 1673 patients out of which 537 (32.1%) received spectacles, 169 (10%) underwent free cataract surgery at the base hospital and another 18 (1%) underwent other investigations and interventions. EMR records of the entire surgical procedure and postoperative course could be maintained and instantly reproduced at different camp sites for all patients when required. Conclusion: Electronic medical records provide a new dimension to outreach eye camps. Ease of maintenance, integration of different parameters and instant reproduction are the main advantages of EMR. However, technical challenges with cost of application and dependence on a permanent power source limit its widespread use.