An electronic medical record in primary care: impact on satisfaction, work efficiency and clinic processes

User satisfaction with an electronic medical record (EMR) plays a decisive role in its implementation and subsequent use. We developed a survey tool to identify features of an EMR that contribute to user satisfaction and administered it in an adult primary care clinic. Most physician respondents were highly satisfied with the EMR and used all of its components. The EMR decreased the time to develop a synopsis of the patient and improved communication efficiency. Most respondents valued remote access to the EMR. Electronic messaging was an important component of improved care delivery according to 80% of the respondents. Access to online references within the EMR was not valued over web-based access for most respondents. Our results demonstrate acceptance of an EMR in adult primary care. Features such as remote access and electronic messaging were surprisingly useful and successful for primary care practice.