[Simulated cases and Minitel: a tool for the studying prescriptions]

Fictional case histories can be used as a tool by researchers interested in prescription, and they can also be used for quality control and in post-graduate medical teaching. In France the existence of the Minitel telematic system should enable an easier, although restricted, application of this tool to users. Thirty-nine physicians answered questions on 9 fictional case histories using the Minitel system. Of the 1,518 decisions made, only 24.2% corresponded to the "anticipated" or "expected" answers. The percentage of non-valid responses varied from 37.0% to 99.1%. This approach may be useful for research, evaluation, identification of problems and post-graduate medical teaching.