"When used in a primary-care setting, "having an electronic medical record is not sufficient for insuring the quality of diabetes care," said study author Jesse C. Crosson, from the Department of Family Medicine at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. "It really isn't going to change care by itself, it has to be implemented in a context in which people are trying to improve the quality of care.""

", contradicts the common wisdom on health information technology in general and about electronic medical records specifically, Crosson said. Many electronic medical record systems have been sold claiming that they will help improve quality care, he said."

"To measure the impact of electronic medical record systems on the quality of care, Crosson and his colleagues collected data on the care of 927 diabetic patients in 50 doctor's offices."

"They found that in offices that used electronic medical records actually offered poorer quality of care compared with those doctors who didn't use them. Patient care in the 37 offices that didn't use electric medical records was more likely to meet guidelines for treatment and intermediate outcomes compared with the 13 offices using a computerized medical record system, Crosson's group found."

"These findings would apply to the care for other chronic conditions, Crosson said. "I think this is true for other conditions," he said. "I think it's more true for chronic illness care than for other conditions handled in primary care.""

"Crosson believes an electronic medical record system is only as good as the job it is being asked to do. "You can use a hammer to drive nails or break windows,"
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