CBPHC Researcher profile: Amanda Terry

Project title

Encouraging the use of electronic medical records among primary health care practitioners

Who

Dr. Amanda Terry (PhD Epidemiology) is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, and the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University.

Issue

Although there is increasing interest in the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) in Canada, the overall level of use of this technology among primary health care practitioners is low compared to other countries, such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Even when primary health care practitioners do adopt EMR, their use of advanced features is limited. If we are to achieve the benefits of electronic records, it is important that primary health care practitioners use this technology in a comprehensive way, and integrate it into their practice. However, there remain many unanswered questions about how to best utilize this tool in primary health care practice, and a lack of research capacity in Canada with which to address this gap.

Approach

Dr. Terry's current research in primary health care focuses on understanding issues in EMR adoption among primary health care practitioners, in developing approaches to measuring EMR data quality, and in exploring ways to enhance the value of EMR in primary health care practice. She also works to enhance the connection among primary health care stakeholders in Canada, and to build research capacity.

Impact

Dr. Terry's research will have a potential impact on health care in three important ways: 1) to aid policy-makers in preparing for the eventual wide-spread implementation of electronic records in Canada; 2) to assist primary health care practitioners in adopting the records and to maximize their use of this technology in practice; and, 3) to build research capacity for answering primary health care questions about EMR.

Date modified:

2013-07-11