Assessing physician attitudes regarding use of an outpatient EMR: a longitudinal, multi-practice study.

A pre- and post-implementation assessment of physician attitudes was undertaken as part of the evaluation of the pilot implementations of an outpatient EMR in 6 practices of a large academic health system. Our results show that these physicians are ready adopters of computer technology when it demonstrates value-added for the effort required to use it. These physicians utilize email, the Internet, remote access to computer systems, and personal productivity software because they serve a valuable purpose in their academic and clinical work and in their personal lives. Much more critical to the acceptance of an EMR by physicians is its ability to facilitate efficient clinical workflows without negative effects on the valued relationships physicians have with their patients--those that are based on rapport, quality of care, and privacy.