title: Paper versus electronic documentation in complex chronic illness: a comparison.
abstract: This paper reports an analysis and comparison of the electronic and paper medical records of 5 clinically complex persons with spina bifida, who were seen as in- and outpatients at a small Northeastern urban hospital. The combination of chronic illness, multiple medical and allied health specialties, and longer lifespan in this population ensures both a quantitative volume and qualitative complexity of medical event documentation. This ensures a rich field for research into the content and the nature of the fragmented data presently locked in the paper record.
authors.affiliation: School of Information Studies, Syracuse, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine Arnott
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Saira N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Haque
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D010209:Paper; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism