Patient opinion--EHR assessment from the users perspective.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are becoming an integrated part of modern health care. The introduction of EHR in healthcare has been evaluated by many actors and from many perspectives. However, there is hardly any study exploring the opinion of the ultimate users of the system, the patients. This study aims to provide information about patient values and communication that will be useful in the design of a more patient friendly health system. We have asked patients in three different hospitals about their opinions about EHR, using semi structured individual interviews and focus groups. The patients are open to the use of EHR, but they have some concerns: they want their privacy to be respected, and the systems to be safe from the intrusion from outsiders. These results underline the general societal tendencies of citizen accepting the use of new technology, but being very keen to protect their privacy.