A comparison of a printed patient summary document with its electronic equivalent: early results.

Clinicians are always searching for efficient access to clinical data. The Regenstrief Medical Record System has a printed report that fills this niche: Pocket Rounds. Handheld computers may offer an alternative, but it is unclear how effectively a handheld computer can display such data. We surveyed residents and students on the general medicine services for their opinions regarding Pocket Rounds. Those with handheld computers were given access to an electronic version of Pocket Rounds-e-Rounds. We surveyed the subjects who used e-Rounds for their opinions on the electronic format and how it compared to paper. Users overall satisfaction with Pocket Rounds was 5.8 on a seven-point scale. User s overall satisfaction for e-Rounds was 5.6 on a seven-point scale. The most useful function was retrieval of lab data for both modalities. The results suggest that the electronic format is a viable alternative to paper. Further evaluation is needed, and we plan a prospective controlled trial to study this further.