Electronic health records not a panacea, researchers say

Large-scale electronic health record projects promise much, but sometimes deliver little. In a study published Monday in the U.S. journal Milbank Quarterly, researchers at the University College of London (UCL) said they identified fundamental and often overlooked tensions in the design and implementation of EHRs. The study was based on findings from hundreds of previous studies from all over the world. Researchers said their findings have implications for President Barack Obama's election promise to establish electronic health records for every American by 2014, and for other large-scale EHR initiatives around the world. Professor Trish Greenhalgh, lead author of UCL's Department of Open Learning, said EHRs are often depicted as the cornerstone of a modern healthcare, capable of making care better, safer and cheaper. Yet, clinicians and managers the world over struggle to implement EHRs.