Researchers at the Maine Rural Health Research Center, University of Southern Maine examined whether the use of electronic health records by rural primary care physicians facilitates their use of best practices in addressing tobacco dependence. The study used the National Ambulatory Medicare Care Survey (2012-2015) to explore how rurality and use of tobacco-related electronic health record functions were related to smoking status documentation and cessation treatment at adult primary care visits. Rural-urban comparisons were also examined.
The authors conclude that rural primary care physicians were at least as successful as their urban counterparts in leveraging electronic health records to enhance tobacco-related services, and that opportunities exist to expand cessation treatment in rural primary care.
FMI: Jean Talbot, jean.talbot@maine.edu
