title: The electronic health record as a healthcare management strategy and implications for obstetrics and gynecologic practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the current trends, utilities, impacts and strategy for electronic health records (EHRs) as related to obstetrics and gynecology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adoption and utilization of EHRs are increasing rapidly but variably, given pressures of financial incentives, policy and technological advancement. Adoption is outpacing published evidence, but there is a growing body of descriptive literature regarding incentives, benefits, risks and costs of adoption and utilization. Further, there is a rising body of evidence that EHRs can bring benefits to processes and outcomes, and that their implementation can be considered as a healthcare management strategy. Obstetrics and gynecology practices have specific needs, which must be addressed in the adoption of such technology. Specialty specific literature is sparse but should be considered as part of any strategy aimed at achieving quality improvement and practice behavior change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obstetrics and gynecologic practice presents unique challenges to the effective adoption and use of EHR technologies, but there is promise as the technologies, integration and usability are rapidly improving. This technology will have an increasing impact on the practice of obstetrics and gynecology in the coming years.
authors.affiliation: Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hom
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000639:trends; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000639:trends; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011247:Pregnancy; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States