| More than half of U.S. adults, given the choice, would favor a doctor or health insurer that uses electronic medical records (EMRs) over providers who do not, according a public opinion poll released May 2 by Kaiser Permanente.
By 51 percent to 17 percent, the 1,000 adults responding to a telephone survey said they would prefer a doctor with EMRs over an equivalently skilled doctor who relied on paper records. Insurance companies with electronic claims records were even more popular, with 68 percent favoring them, compared to 16 percent voicing preference for otherwise equivalent health insurers that rely on paper records.
However, the survey shows that many Americans have almost no knowledge of electronic health records, with 46 percent telling the pollster—the market research firm StrategyOne of Glen Ellen, Ill.—that they had never heard of electronic health records before the call. Nonetheless, the survey responses are based on replies from all 1,000 respondents.
By 72 percent to 19 percent, respondents said computer-based medical records systems are more efficient than paper records. But a plurality (47 percent) said paper records are more secure than computer-based records (42 percent).
Asked whether the advantages of electronic medical records outweigh the disadvantages, respondents by an almost 3-to-1 margin (73 percent to 25 percent) said EMRs are worth the risks, although most EMR backers voiced only partial support for the notion, with those expressing limited support for the notion (52 percent of all respondents) vastly outnumbering those agreeing with it strongly (21 percent).
Text of the survey findings are available at http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/kphealthconnect/healthitsurvey.html .
Copyright©2007 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington D.C. | 
