NEW YORK – Physicians are more likely to report drug safety information when using an electronic health record system, according to a recent survey.

The New York-based Pfizer pharmaceutical company released the survey, which was conducted by Ipsos, an independent market research company. The survey polled 300  primary care physicians in the United States who are categorized as basic EHR users, fully functional EHR users or paper health record users.Two-thirds of respondents used some form of an EHR system and one-third used a paper-based system.

Half of all respondents and 60 percent of fully-functional EHR users reported that they would be much more likely to submit information about adverse events using an EHR system. Of those still using paper-based systems, 80 percent cited cost as a deterrent to investing in an EHR. “Patient safety continues to be a top priority at Pfizer,” said Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, Pfizer’s chief medical officer. “This survey furthers our understanding about how we can best use EHR systems to collect critical information about the safe and appropriate use of our products so that we can improve patient safety.”

Nearly 60 percent of physicians who responded to the survey said adverse event reporting through an EHR system would improve patient care.