In particular, countries such as the United States have
lagged behind some European nations in the adoption of
health IT, such as electronic health records. Interoperable electronic
health records are a prerequisite for a modern health
care system and the key to delivering a number of benefits to
health care patients and payers. For example, the computerized
decision support systems used in hospitals provide patients
the most benefit when they use a complete and accurate set of patient data. These systems can help ensure a return to
the core principle of evidence-based medicine—that patients
and doctors have the best evidence available when making a
decision about treatment.