A study of nurses' attitudes and quality of documents in computer care planning

This article describes the introduction and development of a computerised care planning system at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester - the first to be installed in a UK hospital. The research examined ward nurses' attitudes to the nursing process and the new care planning system before it was implemented, after three months and after one year. The quality of manual and computer care planning was also compared. Results showed that the majority of nurses were ambivalent about the nursing process and the proposed computer care plans. Three months after the new system was introduced, most nurses held negative attitudes, but after a year, attitudes, although still negative, showed a significant shift towards positive. The quality of care planning also improved significantly on the wards for which comparisons were possible.