Many in the healthcare community believe that electronic health records will lead to significant improvements in the quality of care delivered by providers. However, these theoretical benefits are meaningless if doctors are resistant to using the technology.

Medical professionals are frequently against the idea of having to learn a new system or check every order they make through a computer. This can make a healthcare organization's efforts at EHR implementation more difficult.

Administrators at Rockcastle Regional Hospital in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky considered this potential problem when they recently implemented an EHR system. However, they were able to overcome these issues by providing strong training to physicians and instilling a culture that was accepting of EHRs.

"Everyone in the organization is using the technology," said Cindy Burton, chief nursing officer at the hospital. "From registration and scheduling to the doctors' offices, we took the attitude that we were going to do this."

The age of a physician and the degree to which they are used to their former order entry systems are generally considered reasons why professionals would be resistant to EHRs. However, a recent study out of Old Dominion University showed that when organizations make the decision to implement EHRs starting at a cultural level, doctors tend to follow.