Health IT adoption is associated with improved medical outcomes, according to a systematic literature review published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
For the study, two researchers from the school of health administration at San Marcos-based Texas State University analyzed 37 peer-reviewed articles published during the last five years. All of the articles assessed a health IT intervention and its effect on medical outcomes efficiency or effectiveness.
There was at least one improved medical outcome tied to adoption of a health IT intervention in 81 percent of the articles. The remaining 19 percent of articles indicated no statistical difference in outcomes as a result of the health IT intervention.
The researchers determined health IT adoption was associated with improved medical outcomes, suggesting the relevance of recent EHR incentive programs.
"A strong majority of the literature shows positive effects of HIT on the effectiveness of medical outcomes, which positively supports efforts that prepare for stage 3 of Meaningful Use," the study authors concluded. "This aligns with previous reviews in other time frames."