Implementation of Electronic Health Records During Global Outreach: A Necessary Next Step in Measuring and Improving Quality of Care

There has been a marked improvement in health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) throughout the past several decades. Although access to care has increased, evidence demonstrates that over 8 million lives could be saved annually with high-quality health systems. Traumatic injuries that are often treatable by surgical services are a leading cause of global mortality. As such, increased efforts toward improving quality of care in addition to access are needed for surgical services in LMICs. Electronic health records have become standard in high-income countries, given their demonstrated ability to improve clinical care, prevent complications, and inform quality improvement. Electronic health records are not frequently used in LMICs and represent an opportunity to address the quality gap in these health systems. This review highlights the benefits of electronic health records in high-income countries, their potential benefits in LMICs, their current role in supporting surgical outreach, and their implementation on outreach trips to measure and improve quality of care.