User interfaces for computer-based patient records

The primary purpose of computerbased patient records (CPRs) is to keep track of clinical data about patients and share this information with the wide variety of healthcare professionals who interact with patients. Traditionally, this information has been kept in a paper record, and paper-based patient records have evolved throughout this century to a highly successful format with critical information and processes encoded in the structure of the paper records. However, paper-based records have had some severe limitations, for instance: bulkiness, time delay in obtaining records, and the necessity of redundantly entering many types of information. As one workshop participant noted, "it's hard to support clinical decision-making with this big pile of paper".