Nearly half of physicians using electronic healthcare records (EHR) aren’t getting sufficient training to use them effectively, according to a survey of more than 2,300 doctors conducted by the online organization AmericanEHR Partners.
The study, conducted between April 2010 and July 2011, found that a minimum of three to five days of EHR training correlated with high physician satisfaction with electronic records — and that use of EHRs improved with more than two weeks of training. However, 49 percent of doctors said they received only three days or less of training with electronic records.
The data suggests that many physicians are receiving inadequate training to use electronic records, said Dr. Alan Brookstone, CEO of Cientis Technologies Inc., a developer of web-based healthcare tools. Brookstone suggested that doctors should have at least a week of training in advanced electronic records features to show a significant improvement in usability.
Healthcare organizations are turning to EHRs in order to more efficiently assist patients and improve the accuracy of patient records. However, questions about what healthcare professionals should have access to such records, patient privacy concerns and other issues have held back widespread adoption of EHRs with some healthcare providers.