ABSTRACT
The objective of this section is to present the computer-based patient record (CPR) as a powerful tool for organizing patient care data to improve patient care and strengthen communication of patient care data among healthcare providers. The CPR is even more powerful when used in a system that retrieves applicable medical knowledge to support clinical decision making, improving patient safety, and promoting quality improvement. Evidence exists that the use of CPR systems (CPRS) can change both physician behavior and patient outcomes of care. As the speed and cost efficiency of computers rise, the cost of information storage and retrieval falls, and the breadth of ubiquitous networks becomes broader, it is essential that CPRs and systems that use them be evaluated for the improvements in health care that they can bring, and for their protection of the confidentiality of individually identifiable patient information.
