Over the past 5 years, satisfaction with electronic health records has declined among physicians, despite being used by a great proportion of them, according to recently published survey results from AmericanEHR Partners and AMA. “While EHR systems have the promise of improving patient care and practice efficiency, we are not yet seeing those effects. We need to figure out how we can help physicians and practices to more effectively implement and use these systems,” Shari Erickson, MPH, vice president of ACP’s Division of Governmental Affairs and Medical Practice, said in a press release. Shari Erickson To assess satisfaction with electronic health record systems, AmericanEHR Partners and AMA surveyed 940 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Results demonstrated that only 22% of participants were satisfied and 12% were very satisfied with their EHR system, compared with 39% and 22%, respectively, in 2010. Nearly three-quarters of participants found their EHR systems did not decrease workloads. Increased costs associated with EHR were seen among 54% of participants. Primary care physicians were more likely to report satisfaction with their EHR, compared with specialists. Forty-three percent of participants reported productivity challenges with their EHR. However, the researchers noted that it takes approximately 3 years for providers to overcome challenges associated with EHR systems. “Perhaps we are getting over the curve in EHR adoption. It may be that as we see more practices that have been using these systems longer we will see satisfaction begin to rise,” Erickson said in the release.
The results of a survey undertaken by AmericanEHR Partners and AMA, indicate that nearly 75% of the 940 participants were satisfied with EHR"s, down 17% from 2010. Furthermore, the survey showed that only 22% found that EHR"s did not decrease workload. The VP of ACP"s Division of Governmental Affairs however believes that EHR systems have the potential to improve care and efficiency