Most Americans favor electronic medical records

Despite privacy concerns, more than three quarters of Americans favor the use of electronic medical records, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Chicago who polled 1,000 people found that while nearly half said they had worries about the privacy of electronic medical records but 64 percent thought the benefits of being able to access their records online outweighed those concerns. "Our core finding is that a large majority of Americans support use of health IT to improve healthcare and safety, and reduce costs," said Daniel Gaylin, executive vice president for research at the university's National Opinion Research Center. "This suggests that government and industry efforts to increase the effectiveness and use of health IT are generally consistent with the public's wishes." Gaylin and Adil Moiduddin, one of the authors of the study, described the results as notable because they show that many Americans back government efforts to ensure that all Americans have electronic medical records by 2014.