Survey shows high member interest in EHR system -- March 2003 -- FP Report

March 2003 • Volume 9 • Number 3

Survey shows high member interest in EHR system

Most Academy members are interested in an AAFP-sponsored electronic health record system, according to an online survey conducted by the Research and Information Services Division in January.

The survey was e-mailed to all active AAFP members with e-mail addresses on file with the Academy. Responses came in from 5,517 members, yielding a response rate of 15.5 percent, considered typical for an online survey.

Survey results were made available to the AAFP Board of Directors as they contemplated the EHR project. Some of the findings indicate high member interest in purchasing and implementing an EHR system. For instance:

Three-fourths of respondents said they do not use an EHR, but more than 80 percent of this group have investigated an EHR purchase.
One-third of all respondents said they were "very interested" in purchasing an AAFP-sponsored EHR system, and more than 80 percent were at least "interested."
Of those who were at least interested, almost two-thirds hope to implement a system within the next year.
Those physicians not using an EHR overwhelmingly cited cost as the biggest deterrent -- 60.5 percent said they could not afford an EHR.
A majority of responders considered $100 per month a reasonable amount to spend for software upgrades, training and support for such a system.

(Note: Responders were e-mail users and thus were likely to be biased in favor of EHRs.)

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