Physician, heal thy software

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Auditing

Background:

• The increasing pressure to adopt computers for medical audit is questioned.
• Manufacturers and enthusiasts promote computers as a prerequisite for medical auditing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the notion that computers are essential for medical audit.
• To provide a decision-making framework for acquiring computer systems for medical audit.

Main Methods:

• Critical review of the necessity of computers in medical audit.
• Development of a checklist for evaluating computer system requirements.
• Guidance on selecting appropriate computer systems.

Main Results:

• Computers are not a mandatory requirement for conducting medical audits.
• A structured approach to computer acquisition for medical audit is presented.

Conclusions:

• Medical audit can be effectively performed without immediate computerization.
• Informed decisions regarding computer procurement for medical audit are facilitated.