EHRs provide several benefits with the potential of improving healthcare quality. There is also a growing interest in using EHR for research purposes to improve clinical care and administrative processes. This paper examines the potential role of EHRs in supporting clinical research in primary care. Healthcare professionals (1710) working in primary care centers in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed. The response rate was 65.9%. The majority of the respondents (76.0%) perceived EHR to provide quick and reliable access to scientific research. To improve EHR utilization in health research, the challenges related to its use should be addressed.
Keywords: clinical research; electronic health records; primary care.