Survey: 26 percent of Americans want their medical records to be digital

August 1, 2012 – Americans routinely use electronic files to manage their finances, communicate with friends and family and even take college courses – but when it comes to medical records – only 26 percent want them digital. The findings come from the third annual Electronic Health Records (EHR) online survey of 2,147 U.S. adults, conducted for Xerox (NYSE: XRX) by Harris Interactive in May 2012.

According to the survey, only 40 percent of respondents believe digital records will deliver better, more efficient care. That response fell two percent from last year’s survey, and matches the response reported in 2010. Overall, 85 percent of respondents this year expressed concern about digital medical records.

“We continue to see a resistance to change from consumers – meaning providers need to continue to educate Americans on the value of EHRs,” said Chad Harris, group president, Xerox Healthcare Provider Solutions.

Despite consumers’ misgivings of the value of EHRs, caregivers are quick to adopt digital technology. When asked how their healthcare provider recorded medical information during their last visit to a doctor or hospital, 60 percent of respondents – who have visited a doctor or hospital – reported that the information was entered directly into a tablet, laptop or in-room computer station versus 28 percent who reported the information was taken via handwritten notes.

To help caregivers do more with this patient information, Xerox is working with researchers at PARC, A Xerox Company, to explore EHRs as a gateway to a variety of healthcare innovation possibilities. The resulting technology tools will simplify back-office and front-line processes, reduce errors, and free up caregivers to spend more time and attention on day-to-day patient care.

“A big part of PARC’s healthcare work for Xerox is using ethnography and other social science methods to observe and analyze actual work practices – not just what people say they do,” said Steve Hoover, CEO, PARC, A Xerox Company. “If there’s one thing that this survey tells us, coupled with our own experiences, it’s that you should never develop or deploy technology outside of the human context.”

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Xerox from May 11-15, 2012 among 2,147 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please see below media contact information.

Source: Xerox