Comparison of acceptance and performance of automated and manual data management systems in intensive care.

A computerized data management system for intensive care was compared to conventional manual record keeping. The criteria for the comparison were the nurses' acceptance, the reliability in recording haemodynamic trends and the ability of the physicians' to recall patient data after being on duty for 24 hours. At the time of the study the data management system had been in routine clinical use for 18 months. During the study the data management system was replaced by manual record keeping for three weeks. The majority of the nurses preferred the data management system to the manual record keeping. It was also more reliable in collecting data for trend graphs from the patient monitors. The physicians made significantly less mistakes in recalling patient data when the data management system was in use than during manual record keeping. According to the criteria of the study, the data management system was superior to the conventional manual system.