The good, the bad and the early adopters: providers' attitudes about a common, commercial EHR. Issue 1 (20th August 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Makam, Anil N.; Lanham, Holly J.; Batchelor, Kim; Moran, Brett; Howell‐Stampley, Temple; Kirk, Lynne; Cherukuri, Manjula; Samal, Lipika; Santini, Noel; Leykum, Luci K.; Halm, Ethan A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of evaluation in clinical practice. Volume 20:Issue 1(2014)
• Page Start: 36
• Page End: 42
• Publication Date: 2013-08-20
• Subjects: Clinical medicine -- Periodicals; 616.005
• DOI: 10.1111/jep.12076
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1356-1294

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="jep12076-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Rationale, aims and objectives</title> <p>To describe primary care providers' (PCP) attitudes about the impact of a mature, commercial electronic health records (EHR) on clinical practice in settings with experience using the system and to evaluate whether a provider's propensity to adopt new technologies is associated with more favourable perceptions.</p> </sec> <sec id="jep12076-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Method</title> <p>We surveyed PCPs in 11 practices affiliated with three health systems in Texas. Most practices had greater than 5 years of experience with the Epic EHR. The effect of early adopter of technology status was evaluated using logistic regression.</p> </sec> <sec id="jep12076-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>One hundred forty‐six PCPs responded (70%). Most thought the EHR had a positive impact on routine tasks, such as prescription refills (94%), whereas fewer agreed for complex tasks, such as delivery of guideline‐concordant care for chronic illnesses (51%). Two‐thirds (62%) thought it interfered with eye contact with patients, and 40% reported that it interfered with in‐visit communication. Early adopters of technology reported greater positive effects of the EHR, even after adjusting for age, ranging from 2% to 15% higher on satisfaction ratings.</p> </sec> <sec id="jep12076-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>PCPs practicing in settings with considerable experience using a common commercial EHR identified many positive effects, as well as two key areas for improvement – patient centredness and intelligent decision support. Providers with a propensity to adopt new technologies have more favourable perceptions of the EHR.</p> </sec> </abstract>