electronic health record

noun

plural electronic health records
: a digital collection of a patient's medical information (such as medications, immunizations, lab results, or diagnoses) : EHR
Electronic health records have become essential tools in medicine, replacing the rooms full of paper documents that were hard to maintain and subject to fires and other losses.—Karen Weintraub
For our staff and providers, having one electronic health record means one login and one point of access for all patient information. For patients, it means having one portal for all medical records …—John Wilcox, quoted in Morris (Illinois) Daily Herald

Examples of electronic health record in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The adoption of electronic health records didn’t eliminate all administrative and clinical roles. — Mudit Garg, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Yale’s PopHIVE combines traditional government data sources with information from electronic health records and other sources to provide a timely picture of population health that is less impacted by government shutdowns or political priorities. — Deb Houry, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 On July 21, the CPSC announced changes to the NEISS to POLITICO, including the system automatically pulling information and data from electronic health records. — Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Technology companies are using electronic health records, digital tools, and physician networks to expand trials beyond academic medical centers and conduct real-time clinical trials that accelerate enrollment and improve patient access. — David Shulkin, STAT, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for electronic health record

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of electronic health record was in 1993

Rhymes for electronic health record

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Browse Nearby Words

electronic funds transfer
electronic health record
electronic heating
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Cite this Entry

“Electronic health record.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electronic%20health%20record. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Medical Definition

electronic health record

noun
: a digital collection of a patient's medical information (such as medications, immunizations, lab results, or diagnoses) : ehr
One of the key benefits of electronic health records is their ability to support coordinated care. They facilitate seamless data exchange between various providers, from primary care physicians to specialists …—International Organization for Standardization
The traditional goal of progress notes is to provide a concise, up-to-date reflection of the patient's condition and the clinician's thought process. Electronic health records … allow physicians writing these notes to supplement traditional manual data entry with copied or imported text.—Michael D. Wang et al., JAMA Internal Medicine
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