The Impact of Electronic Health Records on Healthcare Quality in the US

Fatima Fairfax, Duke University

Thursday, March 26, 2026 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT
Johnson Center, Meeting Room F

From wearable biometrics to AI-driven decision support, technology is transforming clinical practice, enhancing precision, and redefining the delivery of care. While these innovations present a wealth of opportunities to improve healthcare in the U.S., greater attention is needed to evaluate the impact of these new technologies on healthcare quality, healthcare outcomes, and disparities in healthcare delivery. In this talk, I focus on the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States over the past two decades. I assess if and how it has impacted healthcare quality on a variety of important indicators such as adverse drug events, patient-centered care practices, and fatal medical interactions. I examine these dynamics at the national and state levels, exploring if there is an outsized impact of technology adoption based on state-level characteristics. In addition, I situate these technologies in healthcare systems that have been shaped by over a century of historical, political, and social forces that are relevant to the performance and efficacy of these technologies. To explore this, I examine how these technologies perform in different subpopulations of the US. I also bring in other work that demonstrates the role of healthcare provider bias in the use of these technologies, as well as the role of existing inequities in patient engagement that may undermine the success of these technological advancements. Taken together, this talk will explore how healthcare technology is exposed to, shapes, and can be leveraged to improve the existing healthcare system and, ultimately, healthcare outcomes. 

Hosted by The Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Sponsored by The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Next Systems Studies.