ABSTRACT
However, the same factors that lead to the advantages given above also lead to disadvantages. Wrong and illogical data can be entered, especially if the information is copied from handwritten notes by a junior clerk or entered by a tired and computer illiterate doctor or midwife at the end of a shift. The need to confine observations to the vocabulary in the computer programme can lead to over-simplification. Matters such as the degree of urgency or worry cannot be recorded. Rare events, such as stillbirth and maternal death, create the need for whole sets of additional information that may not be found in the general programme and for other parts to be omitted. In one case of maternal death investigated by the author, the computer entries read:
These entries caused considerable distress when discovered by the relatives. If computerisation is to be used, programmes must be developed and used thoughtfully and sympathetically.
