http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/9760/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/9659/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z OBJECTIVE: To observe how electronic messaging between a hospital consultant and general practitioners (GPs) in 15 practices about patients suffering from diabetes evolved over a 3-year period after an initial 1-year study. DESIGN: Case report. Electronic messages between a hospital consultant and GPs were counted. The authors determined whether a message sent by the consultant was integrated into the receiving GP's electronic medical record system. After the observation period, the GPs answered a questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS: The number of electronic messages and the percentage of messages integrated into the electronic medical record. RESULTS: The volume of messages was maintained during the 3 years after the original study. In the original study, the percentage of the messages integrated by the GPs increased during the year. After that study, however, seven GPs stopped integrating data from messages. The extent to which received messages were integrated varied widely among practices. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that extrapolation of the results of the original study would have led to incorrect conclusions. Although the volume of messages remained stable after the original study, GPs changed their method of handling messages. Initially, all GPs used the opportunity to copy data from the messages into their own records. At the end of the observation period (that is, the 3 years after completion of the original study), more than 50 percent of GPs had ceased copying data from the messages into their own records. The majority of GPs, however, wanted to expand the use of electronic messaging. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21985/ 1995-09-13T00:00:00Z The need for information for the delivery of good quality health care is growing rapidly. As in other areas of society, computer technology plays an ever-growing role in managing this information. Hammond, reviewing the development of Hospital Information Systems, indicates that health care has failed to keep pace with the rise in computing power and communications technology, possibly because of the complexity of health care and the large variety of individuals working with the systems. He underlines the importance of these systems for collecting, storing, processing, retrieving, and communicating patient-related data, not only between hospital departments but also between hospitals and other care providers. He concludes that "clinical information is not the property of a single facility but rather [ .. ] part of a global resource which focuses on the patient-centered record". Buffone and Beck support this view: "Patient care typically requires that multiple providers share data and information in a facile and relevant manner"