The computer-stored medical record. For whom?

The medical record has grown in complexity to meet the many new demands for patient information. Computers have facilitated access to some information for some care providers, but automation has also highlighted the difficulty of designing an effective logic for a document with so many uses and users. In this issue ofTHE JOURNAL, McDonald and Tierney 1 review how a computer-stored medical record (CSMR) can aid physician practice, provided certain problems can be overcome.