Are general practitioners satisfied with electronic discharge summaries?

The aim of this study was to assess general practitioners' (GPs') satisfaction with the quality of information in electronic discharge summaries and the timeliness of their receipt of the summaries. The study was conducted in a 75-bed Australian public metropolitan hospital which uses an electronic discharge summary which is mailed to the patients' nominated GP. Eighty-five GPs were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with the content of the electronic discharge summary and the timeliness of receipt. the majority of respondents indicated that they had received the electronic discharge summary within two weeks of the patients' discharge from hospital. The majority also indicated that they were satisfied with all eight documentation data elements. Some GPs indicated that they would prefer to receive the electronic discharge summary electronically by email rather than by conventional mail, and that they would like more information in the "follow-up and recommendations" content areas of the summary. It was concluded that the majority of GPs agreed that the electronic discharge summary was an improvement over the manual discharge summary. Further developments in the safe and secure electronic transfer of discharge summary information needs to be addressed to meet the information needs of GPs.