Dive Brief:
- A recent report in JAMA Internal Medicine found that family practice doctors reported losing 48 minutes of free time a day due to the use of electronic medical records. The study was based on a 2012 American College of Physicians survey of 411 physicians, using 61 different EMR systems.
- Nearly 90% of those responding to the study said data management functions were slower after adopting electronic records. More than 60% said it took longer to write notes. And about one-third of respondents spent more time finding and reviewing data and reading electronic notes after adoption.
- The authors of the report noted that things like scribes, standing orders and conversation instead of email might be used as time savers. They also found that trainees lost less time than physicians—18 minutes a day. Improving computer skills could also expedite usage, though most providers had been using their systems for at least a year.
Dive Insight:
48 minutes was the mean lost time, but the report found that nearly all physicians said they lose some time during the day due to EMRs. But this isn't the first time physicians have reported dissatisfaction with EMRs.
A 2012 report, Business Strategy: The Current State of Ambulatory EHR Buyer Satisfaction by EDC Health Insights, found that more than half of ambulatory care providers responding to the survey were either unhappy or neutral about their experience with EHRs. The top two reasons for their dislike was increased time spent on documentation (85%) and not seeing as many patients (66%).
"EHR is here to stay, and it is important for both providers and vendors to address the issues raised in this study in order to succeed in the coming years with current and replacement EHRs," said IDC Research Director Judy Hanover of their study. "Success and productivity with EHR will become even more important as EHR installations become the building blocks for care management, patient engagement and patient-centered medical home operations under accountable care."
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