Poll: Less than 10% of Americans have EMRs
Less than one in 10 U.S. adults now have EMRs or use email to contact their doctors, according to a Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll.
Nearly half of respondents weren't even sure if their physician offered the technologies, according to the survey, which included 2,035 U.S. adults and was conducted online June 8-10.
Most of those polled—78 percent—said they "strongly" or "somewhat" agree that their doctors should have access to their EMRs, while 30 percent believe their insurer should have that same access.
Overall, "the general public only has a vague idea, only a very limited understanding, of what all this is about," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, a service of Harris Interactive, based in Norwalk, Conn.
Despite the federal push to expand the use of health IT, public attitudes toward EMRs haven't budged much during the past few years, the poll showed, and patients' use of various electronic functions remains very low. Only 9 percent can communicate with their doctors by email, although this is up from 4 percent in 2006. Eight percent can schedule a doctor's visit online, up from 3 percent, and 8 percent can get diagnostic test results by email, up from 2 percent in 2006.
A little more than a quarter (28 percent) of those polled thought their doctor used EMRs, but 42 percent said they didn't know if their primary-care physicians had the technology.
The survey also revealed regional differences, with more people in the West (35 percent) saying their primary-care physicians uses an EMR than in other regions.
Nearly half of respondents weren't even sure if their physician offered the technologies, according to the survey, which included 2,035 U.S. adults and was conducted online June 8-10.
Most of those polled—78 percent—said they "strongly" or "somewhat" agree that their doctors should have access to their EMRs, while 30 percent believe their insurer should have that same access.
Overall, "the general public only has a vague idea, only a very limited understanding, of what all this is about," said Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, a service of Harris Interactive, based in Norwalk, Conn.
Despite the federal push to expand the use of health IT, public attitudes toward EMRs haven't budged much during the past few years, the poll showed, and patients' use of various electronic functions remains very low. Only 9 percent can communicate with their doctors by email, although this is up from 4 percent in 2006. Eight percent can schedule a doctor's visit online, up from 3 percent, and 8 percent can get diagnostic test results by email, up from 2 percent in 2006.
A little more than a quarter (28 percent) of those polled thought their doctor used EMRs, but 42 percent said they didn't know if their primary-care physicians had the technology.
The survey also revealed regional differences, with more people in the West (35 percent) saying their primary-care physicians uses an EMR than in other regions.