Q. I run a single-handed rural practice with three support staff. I use simple manual systems to maintain my patient records and organise recall. Why would I computerise?
A. Good question. Sounds like you are really organised and thus would benefit greatly from moving to an electronic patient record. Here are some benefits you should consider:
- One of your first tasks on computerisation would be to input your repeat prescriptions. From then on you can confirm these, print them out and sign them. No handwriting a stack of repeat prescriptions each day.
- Your laboratory results can be downloaded and integrated into the individual patient record, so when a patient rings up looking for their cholesterol result you can open their electronic record and discuss the result. No chasing a paper file or an unfiled laboratory result.
- As you input summaries from the paper records or as events unfold for individual patients you can code significant illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiac failure. You can then generate disease registers using reports from your practice system.
- You can identify patients on a particular drug such as rosiglitazone, or a drug combination, and call them in to change their treatment.
- You can generate referral letters from the information already existing on your system: demographics, past history, medication, allergy and print these out quickly. No handing dictation tapes to secretarial staff.
If you are nearing the end of your career then computerising may be more trouble than it is worth, but if you plan to remain in practice for a significant length of time then bite the bullet.