Patients expect EHRs but don't trust the technology
Most patients expect hospitals to use EHRs but only about half said they believe the technology is secure.
A poll conducted by Morning Consult surveyed more than 3,600 voters this spring. The majority (83 percent) of likely voters said they expect hospitals to use EHR systems, while just 8 percent said they do not expect such use.
Expectations about hospitals' EHR use varied when broken down by age: 79 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29, more than 80 percent of respondents aged 30 to 44 and 80 percent of respondents aged 45 to 65 saying they expect their hospitals to use EHRs.
Meanwhile, 68 percent of uninsured respondents expect their hospitals to use EHRs compared to more than 80 percent of insured respondents
More than half (53 percent) of respondents said they trusted that their EHRs were safe, while 39 percent are worried about the safety of their EHRs and 8 percent did not know about the safety of EHRs.
Trust level also varied by age: More than 60 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 saying they trusted the safety of their EHRs compared to just over half aged 30 to 44 and about 40 percent of those aged 45 to 64 saying they trusted the safety of their EHRs.
Respondents have different expectations about the technology healthcare providers use to record their data. For example, 38 percent said they expect providers to use an iPad or tablet; 34 percent expect providers to use a laptop; 17 percent expect providers to use an iPhone or smartphone; and 2 percent expect providers to use a different device.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.