[Acceptance of electronic data processing supported documentation of ultrasound findings in routine clinical...

We carried out a survey to determine the acceptance of the ultrasound documentation software, CUBUS, in clinical practice. Since August 1, 1988, CUBUS, versions V1.01 to V2.02 has been employed in clinical routine. By October 1991 10,850 reports had been stored in version 2.02. The software is installed on a personal computer (Siemens PCD-2, 40MB, 640 KB RAM) to which a laserprinter is connected. The work of operating the system is shared between the nursing and medical staff. In order to investigate the acceptance of the printed reports produced with this system, we carried out a poll among the physicians working at the hospital. Among the 86 physicians who receive 95% of the US reports, 58% (n = 50) responded. On the basis of the categories good, satisfactory, adequate and poor, we requested an assessment of layout, presentation, comprehension, completeness and overall impression. The overall impression was assessed as good or satisfactory in 34% and 42%, respectively. In the case of the individual criteria (see above), the categories good and satisfactory scored 62% and 34%, 58% and 32%, 68% and 18% and 72% and 24%, respectively. The terminology used was accepted by 84%. Addition of, for example, image documentation, and endosonography, will expand the advantages of the input of findings and further improve the good overall impression made by the report printout in our survey, so that the relatively long input time requirement accounting for some 30% of the total examination time, is accordingly justified.