Electronic medical record use does not guarantee higher quality care

Electronic Health Record :: Electronic medical record use does not guarantee higher quality care

The use of an electronic medical record (EMR) in primary care practices is insufficient for insuring high-quality diabetes care finds this study of 927 diabetic patients in 50 primary care practices.

Furthermore, EMR usage was associated with poor adherence to the diabetes quality of care measures.

Patient care in the 37 practices not using an EMR was more likely to meet guidelines for process, treatment and intermediate outcomes than in the 13 practices using an EMR.

The researchers suggest this may be because physician practices often implement health information technologies without sufficient attention to workflow redesign, which can create new quality problems and adversely affect patient health. They assert that national policy makers and primary care practice owners should focus on maintaining and improving quality in primary care settings during and after EMR implementation.

Electronic Medical Records and Diabetes Quality of Care: Results From a Sample of Family Medicine PracticesBy Jesse C. Crosson, Ph.D., et al