Electronic health records (EHRs) offer great promise in improving patient safety, but remain underutilized in both inpatient and ambulatory settings. While physicians have voiced concerns about EHRs' ability to improve quality of care, this survey found that bedside nurses generally felt that even relatively simple EHRs (including clinical documentation and computerized provider order entry) did in fact improve patient safety. Prior studies have also found that EHRs improve nursing efficiency and the safety of nursing medication administration.