The Government-Sponsored Rush To Electronic Health Records Endangers Patients

Forbes December 23, 2019
Sally Pipes

The government’s push to deploy electronic health records across our medical system has driven physicians to the point of despair.

That’s among the key findings of a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a medical journal. More than 5,100 doctors completed surveys on the usability of EHRs, or digital versions of patients’ medical history. The average grade was an “F,” which is “considerably below the usability of many everyday technologies.” Researchers then cross-referenced the doctors’ usability ratings with burnout rates and found that those who faced more difficulty using EHRs were more likely to report symptoms of burnout.

That’s a big threat to our health system. Doctors struggling with burnout are more likely to retire early, reduce their patient...

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