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Do primary care physicians prefer dictated or computer-generated discharge summaries?
J E Brazy1, D L Langkamp, N D Brazy
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Insights
Primary care physicians overwhelmingly prefer computer-generated discharge summaries over dictated ones. This preference stems from the relevance of information for ongoing patient care, improving neonatal intensive care unit transitions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Healthcare Communication
- Neonatal Care
Background:
- Discharge summaries are critical for continuity of care after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization.
- Traditional dictated summaries may have limitations in timeliness and format compared to electronic options.
- Understanding physician preferences is key to optimizing information transfer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare primary care physician (PCP) preferences for computer-generated versus dictated NICU discharge summaries.
- To identify factors influencing PCP preferences for discharge summary format.
Main Methods:
- A survey was mailed to pediatricians and family medicine physicians in a regional referral area.
- Participants cared for infants discharged from a level III NICU.
- Response rate was 78% (45 of 58 physicians).
Main Results:
- 73% of PCPs preferred computer-generated discharge summaries, while only 9% preferred dictated summaries (P < .001).
- The primary reason for preference was the relevance of information for continued patient care.
- Preferences were not significantly influenced by years in practice, practice type, reading preference, or computer usage.
Conclusions:
- Primary care physicians demonstrate a strong preference for computer-generated NICU discharge summaries.
- Computer-generated summaries appear to better meet the needs of PCPs for effective patient management post-NICU.
- This finding supports the adoption and refinement of electronic discharge summary systems.
Objective:
To determine the preference of primary care physicians for computer-generated vs dictated discharge summaries from a neonatal intensive care unit.
Design:
Survey mailed to primary care physicians.
Setting:
Regional referral area of a level III neonatal intensive care unit.
Participants:
Pediatricians and family medicine physicians caring for infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit.
Results:
Of 58 questionnaires sent, 45 (78%) were returned. Overall, 33 physicians (73%) either strongly or mildly preferred the computer-generated discharge summary; eight (18%) had no preference; and four (9%) preferred the dictated discharge summary (P < .001). The category of strongest preference was relevance of information for continued patient care. Preference for type of discharge summary was not significantly influenced by time in practice, type of practice, preference to read or scan summaries, or frequency of computer use.
Conclusion:
Primary care physicians prefer computed-generated discharge summaries to dictated discharge summaries.