Healthcare IT received a strong positive rate of approval from 200 physicians and nurses surveyed in January 2012 by CDW Healthcare.
Eighty-four percent stated that patient care is improved by the use of healthcare technologies. The physicians and nurses cited the availability of better information (85%), an improvement in the accuracy of care delivered to patients (72%), and the ability to track follow-up care (68%) as the top benefits. Forty percent also said that having healthcare IT enabled them to spend more time with their patients.
The survey also polled 202 healthcare IT professionals working in hospitals with more than 200 beds. All but 12 reported that their hospital had an electronic health record, whereas 127 stated that their hospital did not have a PACS.
Based on the IT professionals' responses to some questions, the survey suggests that hospital IT infrastructure may be increasingly taxed. Four percent of hospitals that deployed an electronic health record in the past 18 months added no additional storage capacity. Ten percent opened their networks to patients and visitors without adding any wireless network capacity, and 11% did not add any additional security.
In total, 78% of respondents admitted to lagging infrastructure investments in response to complaints, CDW Healthcare reported.
