How family physicians choose an office computer system.

BACKGROUND Purchasing an office computer can be time consuming and frustrating. Financial costs and time demands make it difficult for the family physician, especially in solo practice, to follow the many recommendations offered in the literature. The purpose of this study was to identify the most helpful selection factors used by family physicians who had already purchased an office computer. METHODS In May 1990 an 18-item questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 26 percent of the 1167 active members of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians. A final response rate of 45 percent was achieved. Twenty-three percent of the nonresponders were contacted to obtain information about practice demographics and office computer status. RESULTS Seventy-three percent of responders reported using a computer in their practice. The mean cost ranged from $17,300 for solo practitioners to $55,000 for multispecialty groups. Respondents who reported performing a prepurchase needs assessment, involving the office staff in the decision process, and making cost comparisons were more satisfied with their computer systems than those who did not (P less than 0.05). Satisfaction and acceptance were lower and negatively related to an increasing amount of time needed for the system to become fully operational (P less than 0.01). The level of involvement by the practitioner in the decision process was highly predictive of satisfaction with a computer system: those physicians who were most involved were also the most satisfied. CONCLUSIONS Family physicians responsible for selecting an office computer for their practices are advised to become personally involved in the decision process, evaluate the practice's needs and goals, involve the office staff, and compare costs before choosing a system. A set of guidelines for selecting an office computer is presented.