Survey: Some physicians may miss health IT boat
Health IT is a boon and improving health practices, according to a survey of more than 3,700 physicians in eight countries from consulting and technology services firm Accenture. But adoption and enthusiasm are uneven.
While physicians agreed on the top benefits of health IT, some, particularly those over age 50, are not actively using health IT, the survey showed. And U.S. physicians are generally less positive about the benefits of EMR and health information exchange (HIE) than their international colleagues.
The survey showed the majority of doctors in all countries surveyed believed that health IT does provide some common top benefits, including better access to quality data for clinical research (70.9 percent), improved coordination of care (69.1 percent) and a reduction in medical errors (66 percent).
But, some doctors do not yet see all the benefits of health IT, with high percentages reporting either a negative impact, no impact or that they didn't know the impact for reducing unneeded procedures (43.6 percent), improving access to services (43 percent) or improving patient outcomes (39.2 percent).
Routine health IT users, however, rated the overall benefits more positively than their counterparts who are less actively involved with these technologies.
Physicians in the U.S. rated EMR and HIE benefits lower than their international colleagues. Just 45 percent of U.S. physicians thought health IT will improve diagnostic decisions, compared with 61 percent globally. A total of 45 percent of U.S. physicians reported that technology leads to improved outcomes for patients, compared with 59 percent globally. Similarly, 47 percent of U.S. physicians reported that healthcare technology has helped improve treatment decisions, compared with 61 percent globally.
The survey also pointed to a generational divide, with physicians under age 50 more likely to believe that health IT has a positive impact on perceived benefits, including improved health outcomes, increased speed of access to health services and reductions in medical errors.
More than 72 percent of doctors younger than age 50 think EMRs and HIE will improve care coordination across settings and service boundaries, compared with 65 percent of physicians older than 50. And, 73 percent of those younger than age 50 believe EMRs and HIE will offer better access to quality data for clinical research, compared with 68 percent of older physicians.
The Accenture study also asked physicians about the extent to which they used 12 different EMR and HIE functions, such as electronic entry of patient notes, electronic referrals to or from other physicians, electronic ordering, e-prescribing and communicating with other physicians or patients via secure email.
The results showed that physicians who are routine users of a wider range of health IT functions have a more positive attitude toward the benefits of these technologies. The survey indicated that, on average across all the countries, as physicians start to use more functions the more positive they are about the benefits.
As part of its Accenture Connected Health Study, the company surveyed 500 physicians per country in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain and the U.S. and 200 physicians in Singapore between August and September 2011.
While physicians agreed on the top benefits of health IT, some, particularly those over age 50, are not actively using health IT, the survey showed. And U.S. physicians are generally less positive about the benefits of EMR and health information exchange (HIE) than their international colleagues.
The survey showed the majority of doctors in all countries surveyed believed that health IT does provide some common top benefits, including better access to quality data for clinical research (70.9 percent), improved coordination of care (69.1 percent) and a reduction in medical errors (66 percent).
But, some doctors do not yet see all the benefits of health IT, with high percentages reporting either a negative impact, no impact or that they didn't know the impact for reducing unneeded procedures (43.6 percent), improving access to services (43 percent) or improving patient outcomes (39.2 percent).
Routine health IT users, however, rated the overall benefits more positively than their counterparts who are less actively involved with these technologies.
Physicians in the U.S. rated EMR and HIE benefits lower than their international colleagues. Just 45 percent of U.S. physicians thought health IT will improve diagnostic decisions, compared with 61 percent globally. A total of 45 percent of U.S. physicians reported that technology leads to improved outcomes for patients, compared with 59 percent globally. Similarly, 47 percent of U.S. physicians reported that healthcare technology has helped improve treatment decisions, compared with 61 percent globally.
The survey also pointed to a generational divide, with physicians under age 50 more likely to believe that health IT has a positive impact on perceived benefits, including improved health outcomes, increased speed of access to health services and reductions in medical errors.
More than 72 percent of doctors younger than age 50 think EMRs and HIE will improve care coordination across settings and service boundaries, compared with 65 percent of physicians older than 50. And, 73 percent of those younger than age 50 believe EMRs and HIE will offer better access to quality data for clinical research, compared with 68 percent of older physicians.
The Accenture study also asked physicians about the extent to which they used 12 different EMR and HIE functions, such as electronic entry of patient notes, electronic referrals to or from other physicians, electronic ordering, e-prescribing and communicating with other physicians or patients via secure email.
The results showed that physicians who are routine users of a wider range of health IT functions have a more positive attitude toward the benefits of these technologies. The survey indicated that, on average across all the countries, as physicians start to use more functions the more positive they are about the benefits.
As part of its Accenture Connected Health Study, the company surveyed 500 physicians per country in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain and the U.S. and 200 physicians in Singapore between August and September 2011.