51% of patients think EHRs make healthcare safer

A survey conducted by HealtheLink asked participants on their view of the safety of electronic health records (EHRs)—finding 51 percent of respondents believed EHRs by physicians and hospitals makes healthcare “more safe.” The remaining measures included 18 percent that believed it made healthcare “less safe” and 24 percent reported “no impact.”

Despite previous complaints about physicians spending too much time in EHRs during office visits, the study found 60 percent of respondents answered “no” when asked if physician spend too much time on the computer.The survey of 1,000 consumers conducted in September of 2017 aimed to outline beliefs regarding the efficiency and awareness of the electronic sharing of data.

When asked about their awareness regarding EHRs, 90 percent of respondents said they knew their physicians used EHRs. When asked whether electronic access is good for healthcare, 82 percent said “yes” or “strongly yes.”

Finding of the survey found 60 percent of respondents did not believe their physician spent too much time on the computer during office visits. However, 37 percent said “yes” and another 11 percent said “strongly yes,” leaving room for improvement in engaging patient when they come into the office.