What factors affect the use of electronic patient records by Irish GPs?

This study attempts to determine the factors which affect the uptake of an EPR by Irish GPs.Methods and materials: Two national postal surveys of Irish General Practitioners (GPs) were carried out in 2000 and again in 2003. Response rates were 69{ca7ad0b74511a57bb2016f24c729dd7716d5352e92d2275aa1f91fb22c36b0a7} (n=1543) and 60{ca7ad0b74511a57bb2016f24c729dd7716d5352e92d2275aa1f91fb22c36b0a7} (n=1408), respectively.Results: The data collected reveal that electronic patient records are in widespread use among Irish general practitioners. Furthermore the study shows that the use of electronic patient records for common clinical and administrative tasks is increasing.Comparative analysis of the data revealed statistically significant differences between subgroups of responders. GPs were more likely to use an EPR for clinical tasks if they were young and male. GPs in group practice and GPs with mostly state-funded patient….