A move to electronic patient records in the community: a qualitative case study of a clinical data collection system,...

With the move toward electronic patient records, many U.K. National Health Service (NHS) Trusts are using computers to make their workforces more clinically effective. This article examines one such system where clinicians are using hand-held computers to maintain up-to-date records on their clients. The effectiveness of the system is measured using standard human computer interaction concepts. The results are considered, leading us to the conclusion that for the effective use of information technology, industry and the NHS must ensure that the whole lifecycle of a project is considered together with its impact on users and its integration with the rest of the information systems.