An Approach to Physician Computer Exposure

Abstract

Contemporary medicine depends on computers the way 19th century farming depended on horses. In hospitals, virtually every department relies on computing in one form or another. Health workers, from nurses to cooks, find data terminals indispensable to their jobs. Ironically, doctors have been among the last to employ computers in their care of patients. Or more precisely, most doctors have not made direct use of the information handling functions of computers.