User discipline in a personal computer-based filing of ultrasound records

The discipline of entering ultrasound examination data in a personal computer file was studied over two periods. During the first period (19 weeks), the use of the computer was limited to one laboratory. During the second period (14 weeks), the computer was shared by three laboratories operating in nearby premises. During the study, 2857 (89%) of a total of 3209 ultrasound examinations performed were duly recorded in the data file. The frequency of failure to enter data was markedly higher during the second period (7-45%) than during the first period (5%) of the study. Overall, there was a highly significant (p less than 0.001) tendency to enter pathological findings at the expense of normal and non-diagnostic findings. The ease of access to the computer and the number of examinations recorded appear to determine user conscientiousness in filing data. Selection and omission of data impair the usefulness of the data log in research.