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Public Health Uses of Data from Electronic Health Records

By: NWHF Staff | Posted on: February 17th, 2012 | Share:
Categories: Policies & Laws • Public Health

Are public health departments ready for the deluge of data to come from electronic health records (EHRs)?  Maybe not, according to a recent article in the American Journal of Public Health, entitled “Public Health Surveillance and Meaningful Use Regulations: A Crisis of Opportunity.”

With financial incentives from the federal government, EHRs are being implemented by more and more hospitals, clinics, and individual doctors, who are required to show they’re making meaningful use of the EHR data. This includes sending data to health departments for programs such as immunization registries and disease reporting. 

Findings from a public opinion survey on EHRs, “Making IT Meaningful: How Consumers Value and Trust Health IT”,  show a generally positive attitude towards EHRs.  Patients see EHRs as a way to improve on quality of care, and they would like on-line access to their health records.

Use of EHRs will continue to expand, and public health departments need to prepare for the increasing quantities of data and find innovative ways to use these data to improve population health.