Physician use of EHRs, smartphones increases

Primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists have dramatically increased their use of electronic health records in the past two years, and more than half of them have smartphones, according to the results of a new survey by Knowledge Networks.

In the survey of 11,000 healthcare professionals, 50 percent of PCPs and 52 percent of specialists said they already are keeping patient records in an electronic format, up 12 points for PCPs and 10 percentage points for specialists since 2008. Additionally, 55 percent of PCPs and 62 percent of specialists report having a smartphone, and more than 80 percent of them said they are using them to access the Internet and for email.

"Healthcare professionals are embracing new technologies that promise more control and convenience," said Jim Vielee, senior vice president at Knowledge Networks. The trend will continue as healthcare reform affects doctors' caseloads, he added.