Electronic health record use and preventive counseling for US children and adolescents.

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Abstract

The objective was to assess whether rates of preventive counseling delivered at well child visits (WCVs) differ for practices with basic, fully functional, or no electronic health record (EHR). Cross-sectional analyses of WCVs included in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Electronic Medical Records Supplement, 2007-2010 were performed. Practices with fully functional EHRs documented delivery of 34% more counseling topics than those without an EHR. WCVs with a fully functional EHR lasted 3.5 more minutes than those with a basic EHR. Overall, for each additional 10 min, 12% more topics were covered, regardless of EHR functionality. Further studies should assess the impact of such systems on the quality of patient care during preventive care visits and on health outcomes.