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The electronic, ‘paperless’ medical office; has it arrived?

journal contribution
posted on 2024-08-22, 06:21 authored by Peter GatesPeter Gates, J Urquhart
AbstractModern information technology offers efficiencies in medical practice, with a reduction in secretarial time in maintaining, filing and retrieving the paper medical record. Electronic requesting of investigations allows tracking of outstanding results. Less storage space is required and telephone calls from pharmacies, pathology and medical imaging service providers to clarify the hand‐written request are abolished. Voice recognition software reduces secretarial typing time per letter. These combined benefits can lead to significantly reduced costs and improved patient care. The paperless office is possible, but requires commitment and training of all staff; it is preferable but not absolutely essential that at least one member of the practice has an interest and some expertise in computers. More importantly, back‐up from information technology providers and back‐up of the electronic data are absolutely crucial and a paperless environment should not be considered without them.

History

Journal

Internal Medicine Journal

Volume

37

Pagination

108-111

Location

Australia

ISSN

1444-0903

eISSN

1445-5994

Language

en

Publication classification

C2.1 Other contribution to refereed journal

Issue

2

Publisher

Wiley