Computers and physicians--an appraisal study

The use of computers to improve health care delivery in a cost-conscious era is increasingly considered appropriate and is even recommended by the World Health Organization. Provision of adequate and appropriate health care requires a large amount of information. However, the assessment of acceptance, of existing skills and of the ability of people to learn and absorb computer technology is still a neglected aspect in the implementation of computer systems. Therefore, in order to address this problem, a study was performed among end users in a rapidly developing country. The results demonstrated that the physicians are interested, but that an information gap exists. Respondents with some experience and information accepted the potential of the computer as a decision support tool, but those without experience had reservations.