BMJ  2003;326 (28 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7404.0-b

Paperless records are better than traditional system

Electronic medical records are more complete and understandable than paper records. In a cross sectional study of 529 records in 25 general practices, Hippisley-Cox and colleagues (p 1439) found that 89% of paperless records and 70% of paper records were medically understandable. Almost 90% of paperless records had at least one diagnosis, compared with 32% of paper based records. Drug dose reporting was far better in the electronic records than in the paper records (87% versus 33%). However, from interviews the authors found that the method of reporting did not affect the doctors' recall of patients or consultations.

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The electronic patient record in primary care—regression or progression? A cross sectional study

Julia Hippisley-Cox, Mike Pringle, Ruth Cater, Alison Wynn, Vicky Hammersley, Carol Coupland, Rhydian Hapgood, Peter Horsfield, Sheila Teasdale, and Christine Johnson
BMJ 2003 326: 1439-1443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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