[Introduction of electronic patient record in an emergency department]

The speciality of emergency medicine is a fairly new concept in the Danish hospital setting, and recent years have seen the emergence of many new emergency departments all over Denmark. We here report the conception and implementation of a novel electronic charting program, comprising a combination of text and check boxes, at Holbæk and Køge emergency departments in Region Zealand. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of electronic charting compared with common tape dictation and discuss how the electronic charting program may be improved to the benefit of physicians and patients alike.