The Article in Brief

Background The electronic health record (EHR), a secure computer-based resource that includes the patient’s medical information, is often viewed as a vital tool for medical practices in the 21st century.This study explores whether and how EHRs affect patients’ visits to the doctor.

What This Study Found Use of an EHR by doctors in the examination room influences the patient visit. This study identified 14 factors that shape how EHRs are perceived and used in medical practice, including spatial factors (ways in which the physical presence and location of the EHR influences interactions between doctors and patients), relational factors (how patients’ and doctors’ perceptions of the EHR affect its use), educational factors (the need to help doctors learn to use the EHR and to help patients understand it), and structural factors (institutional and technological forces that influence how doctors perceive their use of an EHR).

Implications

• The EHR is not just a computerized version of a paper medical record. Rather, it has an identity that can influence medical care.
• Medical practices need to consider the ways in which EHRs influence the relationship between patients and doctors.