title: CD-ROM use by rural physicians.
abstract: A survey of 131 eastern Washington rural family physicians showed that 59.5% owned a personal computer with a CD-ROM drive. There was an inverse correlation between the physicians' years in practice and computer ownership: 10 years or less (80.6%), 11 to 20 years (72.2%), 21 to 30 years (55.6%), and more than 30 years (32.4%). Those physicians who owned a computer used their CD-ROM for entertainment (52.6%), medical textbooks (44.9%), literature searching software (25.6%), drug information (17.9%), continuing medical education (15.4%), and journals on CD-ROM (11.5%). Many rural doctors who owned computers felt that CD-ROM software helped them provide better patient care (46.8%) and kept them current on new information and techniques (48.4%). Indications for medical education, libraries and CD-ROM publishers are noted.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, School of Medicine, A-300 Health Sciences Center, Seattle 98195-6340, USA.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Short
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016251:CD-ROM / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D004346:Drug Information Services; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D016239:MEDLINE; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D019035:Rural Health Services; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014861:Washington; D000078329:Workforce