Research objective. Electronic Health Records (EHR) are expected to transform the way medicine is delivered with patients/consumers being the intended beneficiaries. However, little is known regarding patient knowledge and attitudes about EHRs. This study examined patient perceptions about EHR. Study design. Surveys were administered following patient visits at ten randomly selected primary care clinics who had not yet adopted EHRs. Surveys were available in English, Spanish and Chinese, and trained interviewers facilitated data collection for patients with low literacy levels. Sample. Patients scheduled to see a primary care provider were invited to participate in the study. Overall, 736 patients participated in the study. The response rate was 61.5%. Results. More than half of the patients (54.6%) reported no prior knowledge of EHRs. The majority of the patients listed the following as likely benefits of providers using EHRs: providers having better access to their medical information (64.1%); patients having better access to their own information (37.1%), better care (28.7%), and fewer errors (32.9%). Concerns about providers using EHRs included less time with provider (16.3%) and medical records being accessed inappropriately (33.1%). Survey language, education, race/ethnicity and overall health were significant predictors of knowledge about EHRs. Education was the significant predictor in multivariate logistic regression models. Being a high school graduate, or having completed some high school or less were predictors for patient knowledge about EHRs. Conclusions. Most patients were not aware of EHRs. Education is the main factor in patient knowledge about EHRs. There is general gap in consumer knowledge about EHRs though understanding of EHRs will better care and empower patients. There is need of educational campaigns and general availability of information about EHRs for the public. Future studies should focus on education about EHRs, as well as benefits of EHR use for patients. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]