Study: Majority of patients want EMRs

A new study from the Commonwealth Fund suggests that the majority of patients would like to see doctors move to electronic medical records, with many suggesting that EMRs would help to improve care quality and improve care coordination within the healthcare system as a whole. The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, found that almost 90 percent of respondents want their doctors to be able to share data electronically with other practices or hospitals. Meanwhile, another 71 percent of patients responding said that they want their doctors to be able to use e-prescribing technology to order their prescriptions.

While patients came out strongly in favor of physicians using technology for their care, they were less emphatic when it came to their own part in the process. A comparatively modest 44 percent said that they'd access their own medical records over the internet if available. Forty-eight percent said they'd book appointments and e-mail their doctors if they could. (Right now, only 8 percent were able to book appointments online, and 18 percent had e-mail access to their doctors.)

To learn more about this study:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

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