PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

EMRs don't guarantee quality

Quick View. July 9, 2007.

Electronic medical record systems are not quite the panacea some have hoped for, a new study suggests.

Researchers audited chart samples from 50 family physician practices -- 13 with EMRs and 37 without -- and examined how well they met quality standards in diabetes care. For example, they gauged whether the practices assessed hemoglobin A1c each six months (a process measure) or reduced patients' blood pressure below 130/85 mmHg (an outcome target). The authors said it was unclear why practices using an EMR did worse, though they noted that neither group excelled in diabetes care. They speculated that EMR practices had not yet fully integrated the technology into their patient care workflow.

This information and the accompanying full-text visual aids were drawn from the following source:

"Electronic Medical Records and Diabetes Quality of Care: Results From a Sample of Family Medicine Practices," Annals of Family Medicine, May/June.

[...]

Quick Views provide a visual glimpse into current events in medicine.

Full text of AMNews content, including all Quick View tables and charts, is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.

Access details

Join the AMA