Use of and attitudes to a hospital information system by medical secretaries, nurses and physicians deprived of the paper-based medical record: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Most hospitals keep and update their paper-based medical records after introducing an electronic medical record or a hospital information system (HIS). This case report describes a HIS in a hospital where the paper-based medical records are scanned and eliminated. To evaluate the HIS comprehensively, the perspectives of medical secretaries and nurses are described as well as that of physicians.


METHODS
We have used questionnaires and interviews to assess and compare frequency of use of the HIS for essential tasks, task performance and user satisfaction among medical secretaries, nurses and physicians.


RESULTS
The medical secretaries use the HIS much more than the nurses and the physicians, and they consider that the electronic HIS greatly has simplified their work. The work of nurses and physicians has also become simplified, but they find less satisfaction with the system, particularly with the use of scanned document images.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the basis for reference is limited, the results support the assertion that replacing the paper-based medical record primarily benefits the medical secretaries, and to a lesser degree the nurses and the physicians. The varying results in the different employee groups emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary approach when evaluating a HIS.
INM, Faculty of Medicine, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway. hallvard.laerum@rikshospitalet.no
Hallvard
H
Laerum
Tom H
TH
Karlsen
Arild
A
Faxvaag
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008502:Medical Secretaries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009664:Norway; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis