The number of family physicians using electronic health records has increased consistently during the last four years, according to a survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Healthcare IT News reports.
Of the 459 respondents to the 2007 survey on EHR usage, 37% said their practice had fully implemented an EHR system, while 13% said their practice was in the process of adopting the technology.
AAFP's 2005 survey found that 30% of respondents were using EHRs in their practice, while its 2003 survey found that 10% to 15% of AAFP members had adopted the technology.
Physicians who were most likely to use an EHR system practiced in an urban area, had practiced for seven or fewer years, did not own their practices and worked in practices with at least two other doctors, according to the survey.
The 2007 survey also found that:
- 53% of respondents who did not have EHRs cited cost as the reason;
- 42% of respondents who did not have EHRs in their practice said their practice was concerned about decreased productivity;
- 26% of respondents said they planned to purchase an EHR system in the future; and
- 25% of respondents said they had no plans to adopt an EHR system at their practice (Pizzi, Healthcare IT News, 7/16).