Electronic Medical Records: Much Talk, Not Much Action

Moving medical record-keeping from paper to computer is seen as one of the next big things in clinical practice, but a survey demonstrated that few doctors have made the switch. Surveys were mailed to a random national sample of U.S. physicians who were listed in the American Medical Association database as providing direct patient care.

Of 2607 physicians who submitted complete responses, only 330 (13%) used any sort of basic electronic medical record system in outpatient practice, and only 117 (4%) used a system sophisticated enough to flag problematic clinical decisions and to order all tests. An additional 16% reported that their practices had purchased but not yet implemented electronic records systems.

Physicians who used electronic sys…