Computer use still climbing
CMAJ 1998;159:632
© 1998 Canadian Medical Association
Results from the CMA's 1998 Physician Resource Questionnaire (page 523) indicate that computer use by active physicians continues to surge, rising to 78% from 74% over the last year. Results from the 1998 survey also revealed that male physicians (81%) are still more likely than females (72%) to use computers, a gap that has not narrowed since last year. However, among respondents who do not currently use computers, a higher proportion of women (41%) than men (33%) plan to use them within the next 12 months.
Computer use is highest among medical specialists (84%) followed by surgeons (79%) and GP/FPs (74%). Roughly the same proportion of rural physicians (75%) use computers as urban doctors (79%).
Almost half of the respondents (46%) use computers for email, and 45% use them to search databases such as MEDLINE; 40% use computers for CME purposes, employing devices such as CD-ROM drives.
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Eighty percent of respondents said their staff used computers at work, with the 2 most popular uses being electronic billing (69%) and general office management (62%). For most of the tasks listed, surgeons were more likely than medical specialists or GP/FPs to report that their staff use computers. For example, 35% of surgeons reported that staff used computers to compile electronic patient records, compared with 19% of GP/FPs.
This column was written by Lynda Buske, chief, physician resources information planning, CMA. Readers may send potential research topics to Patrick Sullivan (sullip@cma.ca; 613 731-8610 or 800 663-7336 x2126; fax 613 523-0937).
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