Opportunities for and challenges of computerisation

Information technology offers many potential advantages over paper for the storage and retrieval of patients' data. Enthusiasts predict that soon all records will be stored and viewed on computer, but others are more sceptical. The failure of some computer-based records may be due to poor information design. This paper explores how computers broaden the range of design options but points out that more attention to design is required for computer-based than for paper-based records.