Electronic health records often are touted as a way to boost the quality of patient care, but a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that they have made little impact on care delivered during routine physician visits, Reuters/Yahoo! News reports.
The study found that EHRs did not affect 14 of 17 quality measurements evaluated. In two of the areas, better quality was associated with EHRs, while in one area, worse quality was associated with EHRs, according to researchers at Stanford University and Harvard University.
The study was based on a survey of 1.8 billion physician visits in 2003 and 2004, 18% of which used EHRs.
"Our findings were a bit of a surprise. We did expect practices [with EHRs] would have better quality of care," Randall Stafford of Stanford, said, adding, "They really performed about the same."
The 14 quality indicators for which EHRs did not significantly affect care include:
- Prescribing recommended antibiotics;
- Diet and exercise counseling for high-risk adult patients;
- Screening tests; and
- Avoiding potentially inappropriate medications for the elderly.
Stafford added, "I think they will be a very important tool, but I think they are not sufficient in and of themselves to improve quality a great deal" (Steenhuysen,
Reuters/Yahoo! News, 7/9).