Survey: Providers say electronic health records improve care, but culture of paper is embedded

The majority of healthcare professionals believe that electronic health records improve patient care, but most are still using paper records, a new survey says.

Sixty-three percent of healthcare professionals said they spend up to 75% on their time on paperwork, according to a survey done by digital transcription company Anoto Group. More than 75% said they believed the Affordable Care Act would increase the amount of time spent on paperwork.

Barriers to implementing EHRs, according to the survey respondents, included the high financial cost of adoption, worries about disruption of care and the belief that paper is too embedded in the culture of care.

EHRs were discussed at the 2012 McKnight's Online Expo session. You can hear or download the slides from the presentation by clicking here.