Exploring community health center patient perceptions about electronic medical records and e-prescribing technology

Patient concerns about unauthorized access and confidentiality of electronic medical records (EMR) may affect patient disclosure and other help-seeking behavior and therefore must be addressed by clinicians and health care systems. This exploratory study assessed patient perceptions about electronic medical records and e-prescribing across six safety net clinics in southeast Georgia that serve a disproportionately high number of uninsured and underinsured people. A total of 60 patients between the ages of 18 and 76 years of age from six clinics participated in intercept interviews (N= 22) or three focus groups (N=38). The findings indicated that overall patients had positive perceptions about the utility of electronic medical record and e-prescribing technology in clinical settings, though security of the EMR system was by far the biggest concern. All study participants felt that EMR technology would facilitate a more efficient clinical encounter, with fewer lost records and delays. However, in order to ensure positive patient perceptions remain, patients shared that they need to remain the primary focus of the clinic encounter, as there was concern that with EMR, the computer may become the focal point of the clinical encounter. The findings of this study have implications for community health centers implementing EMR and e-prescribing technology in their clinical practice.