Electronic medical record use among US occupational medicine physicians: a national survey.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) among US occupational medicine physicians (OMPs).


METHODS
An electronic- and paper-based survey was conducted among OMPs using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.


RESULTS
The OMPs reported using an EMR for billing purposes only (14.6%), clinical purposes only (27.8%), or both (39.3%) with the total EMR use of 81.7%. About 60% were satisfied with their EMRs, and 64% to 66% believed that EMRs improve safety and quality of medical care. Among OMPs not using EMR, 17% reported that they were likely to adopt an EMR in the year after the survey, whereas 47% were very unlikely to do so.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupational physicians' use of EMRs was relatively high. They also seemed to be satisfied with their EMRs and believed that EMRs improve both safety and quality of clinical care.
From the Department of Environmental Health, Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology (Drs Soteriades and Kales), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass; Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Dr Soteriades), Cyprus Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Nicosia, Cyprus; Healthcare Management Program (Dr Talias), Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; MultiCare Health System (Dr Harmon), Tacoma, Wash; Salinas Urgent Care/Doctors on Duty (Dr Schumann), Salinas, Calif; and Harvard Medical School (Dr Kales), The Cambridge Health Alliance, Employee and Industrial Medicine, Cambridge, Mass.
Elpidoforos S
ES
Soteriades
Michael A
MA
Talias
Kirk T
KT
Harmon
Steven C
SC
Schumann
Stefanos N
SN
Kales
D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States