Data from the 2011 Physician Workflow Study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the majority of physicians, 78 percent, who use an electronic health record said it enhances overall patient care, according to a study published in Health Services Research. Researchers looked at the 3,180 physician responses to the Physician Workflow Survey questionnaire, focusing on physicians' perceptions of clinical benefits of the EHR.
Here are four more key findings from the study.
- Eighty-one percent of physicians said the EHR helped them remotely access a patient's chart.
- Sixty-five percent of physicians said the EHR alerted them to a potential medical error.
- Sixty-two percent said it alerted them to critical lab values.
- Between 30 percent and 50 percent of physicians associated clinical benefits with EHR use, including providing recommended care, ordering appropriate tests and increasing patient communication.
Researchers said physicians who are meeting EHR meaningful use criteria and physicians who have longer experience with the EHR are more likely to report clinical benefits.
Researchers suggest these findings may encourage more doctors to consider the benefits of the EHR.
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