The computerized medical record: an invitation to dialogue.

Abstract

This article is a companion to "Computerized Medical Records--the Need for a Standard" which appeared in the March 1990 issue of JAMRA. The author has created a workable image of the future with these two articles. In this vision of the future, the control of information appears as one of the greatest medical advances of all history, and the stewards of medical data take an honored position in patient care and research. The author requests that readers be critical in their evaluation of these articles. Great expense and the health of millions will depend upon timely definition of the optimal medical record. Such a task deserves the attention of many minds. We sincerely hope that these articles will elicit lively dialogue.