A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that when physicians in hospitals use healthcare IT to its full potential there are fewer deaths, fewer complications, and lower health care costs.
The study surveyed physicians from 41 hospitals in Texas treating a diverse group of patients across a variety of conditions including heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Respondents were asked about their use of several different types of health IT, including electronic notes and records, order entry, and clinical decision support. Researchers found that relatively modest increases in technology use had dramatic results: for example, a 10 point increase in the use of electronic notes and medical records was associated with a 15 percent reduction in the likelihood of patient death. When physicians electronically entered their instructions for patient care, there was a 55 percent reduction in the likelihood of death for some procedures. Increased use of health IT was also linked to lower costs: hospitals with automated test results, order entry, and decision support experienced lower costs for all hospital admissions (-$110, -$132, and -$538, respectively, per admission).
The study was supported by the Commonwealth Fund and was led by faculty at the UT Southwestern Medical School and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Read a summary of the study.
