Some potential pitfalls associated with the use of computers and microprocessors

Although digital computers and microprocessors are marvelously sophisticated devices, users are well advised to be aware of certain possible drawbacks associated with their use in the clinical environment. One relates to flawed software, the use of which can generate spurious data upon which subsequent treatment decisions might be based. Another drawback may arise when the computational power of a computer is tapped to generate data that, though mathematically correct, are interpreted in the context of physiologic assumptions that may themselves be faulty. Finally, one must resist the temptation to use computers solely "because they are there." Certain tasks are better left undone, and one must exercise restraint and not plunge into a task simply because a computer is very well suited for that task.