What Physicians Think About EHRs And Mobility
By Lisa Kerner, contributing writer
User poll shows physicians want mobile access to electronic health records; thousands unhappy with systems they are currently using and looking to change
When it comes to their patients’ medical records, physicians want access them anytime, anywhere, according to a recent Black Book Research user poll. The poll, a follow up to 2013 electronic health record study, indicates “A full 100% of practices participating expect EHR systems that allow access to patient data wherever physicians are providing or reviewing care,” according to Doug Brown, managing partner of Black Book Research.
With many physicians ready to trade up or trade in less-than-satisfying EHR systems – at least one in five according to the recent poll – the demand for new systems that include data-on-the-go capabilities has increased. “The vast majority of all survey respondents favored mobile applications that focus on the patient data and core parts of a medical practice most needed when the physician is away from the office setting,” says Brown.
Black Book found that 8% of office-based physicians use a mobile device for electronic prescribing, accessing records, ordering tests, or viewing results. A full 83% would update patient charts, check lab results, and order medications immediately if their current EHR offered such capabilities.
An infographic from the 2013 Physicians Practice Technology Survey (membership required), sponsored by ZirMed, illustrates that more than half of the physicians polled use smartphones and about 35% use tablets to do their jobs. The survey also revealed that half of the 1,291 respondents’ EHR systems were mobile accessible. Close to 40% of the survey participants were satisfied with their current EHR system vendor and 14% were very satisfied.
The Black Book poll revealed that 122 vendors plan to introduce fully functional mobile access and/or iPad-native versions of their EHR products by year end, with another 135 claiming to have mobile applications at least on their radar. It might not hurt for these vendors to get some user input. According to Black Book’s poll, 83% of physicians primarily want a simplified version of their EHR system on their mobile device.
An EHR Intelligence article highlights the importance of including clinicians in product design. “What’s holding back the tablet ubiquitously replacing the desktop computer is an appreciation of the differences between mobile and desktop computing and where each excels at or falls short of delivering meaningful results,” the article said. A rich, familiar experience drops the learning curve, according to Amanda Buckley, senior user experience lead at Cerner. “With the tablet, it provides them (clinicians) the ability to (do) what they do 80 percent of the time anywhere instead of just on the device,” explains Buckley.