Do electronic medical records improve quality of care? No.

YES Electronic medical records (EMRs) have had a positive effect on patient care and the work lives of family physicians. Over the past few decades our medical knowledge has increased. More investigative and treatment options are available; as a result our patients are living longer and we are dealing with more chronic conditions. Family physicians cannot “know all things” nor can we be “all things to all patients.” To adequately address our patients’ complex needs, we need good sources of information and good relationships, including access to a multidisciplinary team of professionals and other specialists. We need tools that improve access to information and relationships. We have had to transform how we practise, and the EMR, with its associated information technology, has facilitated that transformation. It is no longer the early adopters or innovators who are using the EMR, as 75% of physicians responding to the 2014 National Physician Survey were using EMRs.1 Of those, 65% indicated that patient care improved and less than 5% indicated a negative effect on the quality of care they provided.1 However, there are still a few laggards who will argue against using EMRs. They will argue that there is no evidence EMRs have a positive effect on the health of their patients, or that implementing EMRs in their practices will reduce efficiency and negatively affect their patient flow.