Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate physician and patient perception of electronic health record use in a tertiary care ophthalmology clinic.
Methods:
A custom development of a commercial EHR was implemented at a tertiary care ophthalmology clinic. All physicians included in this study had trained originally using paper documentation. Both physicians and patients were exposed to this system for at least 6 months. Surveys relating to clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction were distributed to physicians and patients. Survey items were scored using a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly agree).
Results:
A total of 25 physician surveys were completed. All physicians reported that they used computers outside of the workplace, and the majority felt that the EHR improved their ability to document and review exam findings and order ancillary tests. They did not feel strongly whether their ability to communicate with patients was affected by the EHR (Score=3). Physicians overall felt that they spent less time talking to patients with EHR use and would rather use paper charting. Eleven physicians (44%) reported being able to complete charts consistently by the end of clinic. Six physicians (24%) reported spending less than 1 hour, while 8 (32%) reported spending more than 1 hour after clinic completing charts. Of the 49 patient surveys obtained, 38 (78%) strongly felt that they were still able to communicate well with their physicians after EHR implementation, and 46 (94%) were comfortable (Score >=4) with having their records stored electronically. The majority of patients reported that they their physicians were able to maintain eye contact while using the EHR, also overall preferred EHR use over paper charting.
Conclusions:
Physician satisfaction with EHR use is mixed, although patient perception of EHR use has been mostly positive.
Keywords: 460 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower •
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