Ken Robinson, MD, on optimizing the benefits of electronic health records

The net benefits provided by an electronic health record (EHR) – saving physicians precious time and increasing their efficiency – far outweigh any drawbacks, “especially if the physicians using the system are given adequate peer-led training that teaches them how to use the system efficiently and effectively,” says Ken Robinson, MD, FACEP, in a recent article that appears on Healthline.com.

Dr. Robinson, who leads Southern California Permanente Medical Group’s EHR peer-led training program for doctors, says that his medical group decided to implement the peer-led educational program when it became clear that without training the systems were negatively impacting the patient-physician relationship, as well as physicians’ well-being and joy.

However, the EHR must continue to evolve “beyond a database into a tool that provides only the necessary content, orders, data at the right time,” adds Dr. Robinson. He is one of eight medical professionals from a wide variety of medical organizations who shared their views on the pros and cons of EHRs in the article.

To read the entire story, visit Healthline.com.