There is a widespread perception that older physicians are not as willing to adopt health IT tools like electronic health records as younger physicians, but a growing number of experienced doctors are starting to challenge that idea.

Shirley Eichenwald-Maki, a professor in the health informatics and information management department of the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota, told Becker's Hospital Review that older providers were not necessarily resistant to all technology. They were simply waiting for it to mature.

"For some of us older folks who believe in the use of technology to enhance our professional work, it isn't a big selling job," she told the news source. "We've been waiting for it for a long time, [but we've been] waiting for the good stuff."

She added that getting experienced physicians more involved in the planning stages of EHR implementation may help them feel more comfortable with using the technology.

David Kibbe, an advisor to the American Academy of Family Physicians, told Search Health IT that he believes EHRs have made significant strides toward becoming more user-friendly in recent years, and will continue on this trajectory as the meaningful use deadlines loom. This may make EHR implementation easier for older physicians.