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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(6)

The unfulfilled promises of electronic health records

Jeffrey C. L. Looi https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3351-6911 A B * , Steve Kisely https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4021-2924 B C D , Stephen Allison B E , Tarun Bastiampillai B E F and Paul A. Maguire A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, The Australian National University School of Medicine and Psychology, Canberra Hospital, Building 4, Level 2, PO Box 11, Canberra, ACT 2605, Australia.

B Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA), Canberra, ACT, Australia.

C School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

D Departments of Psychiatry, Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.

E College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

F Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic., Australia.

* Correspondence to: jeffrey.looi@anu.edu.au

Australian Health Review 47(6) 744-746 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH23192
Submitted: 27 August 2023  Accepted: 5 October 2023  Published: 23 October 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.

Abstract

We provide a brief update on the current evidence on electronic health records’ benefits, risks, and potential harms through a rapid narrative review. Many of the promised benefits of electronic health records have not yet been realised. Electronic health records are often not user-friendly. To enhance their potential, electronic health record platforms should be continuously evaluated and enhanced by carefully considering feedback from all stakeholders.

Keywords: clinical outcomes, electronic health records, e-health, healthcare services, healthcare workers, information management, quality and safety, workforce.

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