Use and Impact of Computers in Clinical Medicine (Computers and Medicine)

Computer technology has impacted the practice of medicine in dramatic ways. Imaging techniques provide noninvasive tools which alter the diag­ nostic process. Sophisticated monitoring equipment presents new levels of detail for both patient management and research. In most of these high technology applications, the computer is embedded in the device; its presence is transparent to the user. There is also a growing number of applications in which the health care provider directly interacts with a computer. In many cases, these applica­ tions are limited to administrative functions, e.g., office practice manage­ ment, location of hospital patients, appointments, and scheduling. Nev­ ertheless, there also are instances of patient care functions such as results reporting, decision support, surveillance, and reminders. This series, Computers and Medicine, focuses upon the direct use of information systems as it relates to the medical community. After twenty­ five years of experimentation and experience, there are many tested ap­ plications which can be implemented economically using the current gen­ eration of computers. Moreover, the falling cost of computers suggests that there will be even more extensive use in the near future. Yet there is a gap between current practice and the state-of-the-art. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Diffusion of Computer Applications in Medical Settings....Pages 3-7 What Makes Doctors Use Computers?: Discussion Paper....Pages 8-14 Medical Technology: Assessment, Adoption, and Utilization....Pages 15-35 Front Matter....Pages 37-38 The Influence of Medical Values and Practices on Medical Computer Applications....Pages 39-50 What Do Professional Persons Think about Computers?....Pages 51-67 An Analysis of Physician Attitudes Regarding Computer-Based Clinical Consultation Systems....Pages 68-85 Physician Attitudes Toward Applications of Computer Database Systems....Pages 86-96 Why Doctors Don’t Use Computers: Some Empirical Findings....Pages 97-109 Front Matter....Pages 111-111 Diffusion of Innovations: An Overview....Pages 113-131 Embracing or Rejecting Innovations: Clinical Diffusion of Health Care Technology....Pages 132-160 Computers and Clinical Judgment: The Role of Physician Networks....Pages 161-184 Physician Communication Networks and the Adoption and Utilization of Computer Applications in Medicine....Pages 185-199 Front Matter....Pages 201-203 Clinical Computing in a Teaching Hospital....Pages 205-223 Implementing Computerization in Hospitals: A Case Study of the Behavioral and Attitudinal Impacts of a Medical Information System....Pages 224-237 Evaluation of a Computerized Drug Review System: Impact, Attitudes, and Interactions....Pages 238-256 A Structural Model of the Impact of Physicians’ Perceptions of Computers on the Use of Hospital Information Systems....Pages 257-266 Physician Utilization of Computers in Medical Practice: Policy Implications Based on a Structural Model....Pages 267-283 User Reaction to PROMIS: Issues Related to Acceptability of Medical Innovations....Pages 284-301 Do Hospital Staff Interfere with Computer System Implementation?....Pages 302-317 Front Matter....Pages 319-319 Medicine and the Computer: The Promise and Problems of Change....Pages 321-335 Front Matter....Pages 319-319 Computers and Clinical Medicine: Implications for the Practice of Medicine....Pages 336-342 Hospitals of the Future....Pages 343-350 Back Matter....Pages 351-362