Resistance to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs): A Barrier to Improved Quality of Care

While most industries have aggressively leveraged information technology (IT) to improve quality and reduce costs the healthcare sector has lagged behind. Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) hold great promise for improving quality of care yet widespread adoption is lacking. Physician acceptance is critical to widespread adoption of ambulatory EMRs, yet there is little independent research on physician perceptions. This paper attempts to address this void by reporting the results of a study of physician perceptions related to EMRs in a large, multi-specialty clinic. Physician perceptions of select EMR functions and general attitudes and beliefs are reported. While the importance and anticipated utilization of EMR functions varied, nearly 80 percent of the respondents felt an EMR should be implemented. The findings have implications for both vendors attempting to design and market EMR systems and physician executives and practice managers seeking to solicit support for EMR adoption and/or develop a successful implementation strategy.