An assessment of computing activity by GPASS users in Scottish general practice

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• General Practice Data Management
• Medical Record Systems

Background:

• The increasing use of computers in general practices necessitates efficient data collection methods.
• Scottish General Practices utilize the standard national general practice computer system (GPASS).
• In 1989, a novel electronic questionnaire was developed for data extraction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and utility of an electronic questionnaire for data collection in Scottish general practices.
• To analyze data collected from computerised general practices in Scotland.
• To examine variations in data based on geographical region, computerization timeline, and practice size.

Main Methods:

• Development of an electronic questionnaire compatible with the GPASS system.
• Data collection from 251 computerised Scottish general practices in 1989.
• Utilisation of a floppy disc-based interrogation program for data retrieval.
• Amalgamation and analysis of collected data.

Main Results:

• The study successfully gathered data from a significant number of Scottish general practices using the electronic questionnaire.
• Analysis revealed distinct patterns when data were stratified by region, date of initial computerisation, and general practitioner list size.
• The electronic questionnaire proved to be an effective tool for large-scale data collection from primary care computer systems.

Conclusions:

• Electronic data collection methods are viable for large-scale studies in primary care.
• The GPASS system facilitated the aggregation of practice data for analysis.
• Understanding variations by region, computerisation date, and list size is crucial for interpreting general practice data.