title: Psychiatrists' Comfort Using Computers and Other Electronic Devices in Clinical Practice.
abstract: This report highlights findings from the Study of Psychiatrists' Use of Informational Resources in Clinical Practice, a cross-sectional Web- and paper-based survey that examined psychiatrists' comfort using computers and other electronic devices in clinical practice. One-thousand psychiatrists were randomly selected from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and asked to complete the survey between May and August, 2012. A total of 152 eligible psychiatrists completed the questionnaire (response rate 22.2 %). The majority of psychiatrists reported comfort using computers for educational and personal purposes. However, 26 % of psychiatrists reported not using or not being comfortable using computers for clinical functions. Psychiatrists under age 50 were more likely to report comfort using computers for all purposes than their older counterparts. Clinical tasks for which computers were reportedly used comfortably, specifically by psychiatrists younger than 50, included documenting clinical encounters, prescribing, ordering laboratory tests, accessing read-only patient information (e.g., test results), conducting internet searches for general clinical information, accessing online patient educational materials, and communicating with patients or other clinicians. Psychiatrists generally reported comfort using computers for personal and educational purposes. However, use of computers in clinical care was less common, particularly among psychiatrists 50 and older. Information and educational resources need to be available in a variety of accessible, user-friendly, computer and non-computer-based formats, to support use across all ages. Moreover, ongoing training and technical assistance with use of electronic and mobile device technologies in clinical practice is needed. Research on barriers to clinical use of computers is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Practice Research Network, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA. fduffy@psych.org.
authors.forename: Farifteh F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacological Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Fochtmann
authors.affiliation: Practice Research Network, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA.|Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Diana E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.affiliation: Practice Research Network, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA.
authors.forename: Keila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.affiliation: Quality Improvement and Psychiatric Services, American Psychiatric Association, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22209, USA.
authors.forename: Seung-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yager
authors.affiliation: Practice Research Network, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA.
authors.forename: Eve K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Mościcki
authors.affiliation: Quality Improvement Programs Department, American Society of Hematology, 2021 L Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC, 20036, USA.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Plovnick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D020811:Biomedical Technology; D003201:Computers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: Clinical practice; Computer use; EHR; Health care technology; Psychiatry