Business
Public divided on benefits of EMRs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 21, 2005
Americans are evenly split over whether the benefits of electronic medical records outweigh the risks to patients' privacy, according to a national survey released during testimony presented on Feb. 23 before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, a federal advisory group.
The survey found that 48% of Americans believed that the benefits derived from an EMR outweighed risks to privacy, while 47% disagreed. The survey also found that only 29% were aware that the Bush administration is promoting the implementation of a national health network to improve patient safety, quality of care and reduce health care costs while 71% were not.
The survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Privacy & American Business, an initiative by the Center for Social and Legal Research at Columbia University, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/03/21/bibf0321.htm.
