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U.S. hospital use of electronic health records ‘abysmally low,’ according to study
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Contrary to conventional wisdom, only a tiny fraction of U.S. hospitals have full health information technology (HIT) systems in place to improve how they deliver care, according to a new study in the March 25 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
A survey of nearly 3,000 hospitals shows that less than 2% use comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs) and about 8% use a basic EHR in at least one care unit that includes physician or nurse notes.
The findings are the first reliable estimates of the prevalence of HIT adoption in U.S. hospitals and come amid concerted efforts by Congress and the Obama Administration to stimulate wider use of EHRs in the health care sector.
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