Physicians’ Attitudes Towards Copy and Pasting in Electronic Note Writing
Open Access
- 8 November 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of General Internal Medicine
- Vol. 24 (1), 63-68
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0843-2
Abstract
The ability to copy and paste text within computerized physician documentation facilitates electronic note writing, but may affect the quality of physician notes and patient care. Little is known about physicians’ collective experience with the copy and paste function (CPF). To determine physicians’ CPF use, perceptions of its impact on notes and patient care, and opinions regarding its future use. Cross-sectional survey. Resident and faculty physicians within two affiliated academic medical centers currently using a computerized documentation system. Responses on a self-administered survey. A total of 315 (70%) of 451 eligible physicians responded to the survey. Of the 253 (80%) physicians who wrote inpatient notes electronically, 226 (90%) used CPF, and 177 (70%) used it almost always or most of the time when writing daily progress notes. While noting that inconsistencies (71%) and outdated information (71%) were more common in notes containing copy and pasted text, few physicians felt that CPF had a negative impact on patient documentation (19%) or led to mistakes in patient care (24%). The majority of physicians (80%) wanted to continue to use CPF. Although recognizing deficits in notes written using CPF, the majority of physicians used CPF to write notes and did not perceive an overall negative impact on physician documentation or patient care. Further studies of the effects of electronic note writing on the quality and safety of patient care are required.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- Medication Discrepancies in Resident Sign-Outs and Their Potential to HarmJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2007
- Transfers of Patient Care Between House Staff on Internal Medicine WardsArchives of Internal Medicine, 2006
- Potential benefits and problems with computerized prescriber order entry: Analysis of a voluntary medication error-reporting databaseAmerican Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 2006
- Unexpected Increased Mortality After Implementation of a Commercially Sold Computerized Physician Order Entry SystemPublished by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ,2005
- Kaiser Permanente's experience of implementing an electronic medical record: a qualitative studyBMJ, 2005
- Impacts of Computerized Physician Documentation in a Teaching Hospital: Perceptions of Faculty and Resident PhysiciansJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2004
- Computerized Physician Order Entry: Helpful or Harmful?Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2003
- Some Unintended Consequences of Information Technology in Health Care: The Nature of Patient Care Information System-related ErrorsJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2003
- Reporting of Adverse EventsNew England Journal of Medicine, 2002
- The Emerging Role of “Hospitalists” in the American Health Care SystemNew England Journal of Medicine, 1996