THE COMPUTER-BASED PATIENT RECORD - THE ROLE OF THE HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST

Despite advances in computers and software for data analysis, hospital epidemiologists still must use manual methods for data collection. To automate infection control surveillance fully, healthcare institution s need computerized medical records; however, very few institutions cu rrently have such a system. Healthcare institutions appreciate the nee d for automation, but frequently do not see a clear path to the desire d outcome. In this article, we outline the important issues that hospi tal epidemiologists must understand if they wish to help their institu tions to computerize their medical records (Infect Control Hosp Epidem iology 1995;16:729-736).