News Feature | December 22, 2014

Survey: Patient Interest In EHRs Increasing

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

EHR Cuts Admission At Hospital

Patients are becoming increasingly involved in their health, which is good for providers trying to meet engagement criteria.

In 2011, only 64 percent of patients reported that their provider used an EHR. Now, a survey by the National Partnership for Women & Families has found that in 2014, 80 percent of patients report that their physician uses an EHR.

“To date, the public discourse on health IT has largely focused on the views of doctors, hospitals and vendors,” said National Partnership President Debra L. Ness in a press statement. “It is crucial to hear what patients have to say about how they experience EHRs and health IT as they receive care and manage their health – and that’s the focus of Engaging Patients and Families.”

According to EHR Intelligence, researchers found patients are more likely to see EHRs as a useful tool for care delivery than paper record keeping. Patients also overwhelmingly think EHRs are helpful for physicians and believe their own personal health goals will be met more easily with the help of EHRs.

Online access to EHRs has tripled in the last 3 years. Half of patients can now view or share their information online, and 86 percent of those patients access their information at least once annually, while 55 percent use the ability three times per year or more.

iHealth Beat reports that although 85 to 96 percent of patients say their EHR is useful, they want more features:

  • 75 percent of respondents said they want the ability to view test results online
  • 64 percent said they want the ability to schedule appointments
  • 59 percent said they want the ability to submit requests for medication refills

“These findings can contribute much to inform health IT policy and practice that successfully engages all consumers and provides the tools they need to promote better care and improve health outcomes,” say the report’s authors.

“The views of patients must be front and center as we take the next steps in implementing health IT,” said Sandra R. Hernández, President and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, which funded the new survey. “As we as a nation become more diverse, the imperative to address disparities grows. We need the kind of robust information EHRs provide and the genuine patient engagement they can facilitate.”