Dissemination of the use of the electronic patient record in high-quality workmanship: the regional IT consultant for primary care doctors.

The number of general practitioners in Denmark with electronic patient record systems is rising. More than 80% of all GP practices now have computerised patient record systems. These medical practices communicate electronically with hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies and county councils. With the procurement of electronic patient record systems and connection to the Danish Healthcare Data Network, the vast majority of patient data in medical practices is now held in electronic form. This offers good opportunities for the data to be used not just in the consultation situation but for quality development and the monitoring of quality targets in general practice as well. However, the individual medical practices do not utilise the opportunities presented to them by their computer systems. The Quality Development Committee in Funen County Council has therefore set up an IT consultant scheme to provide guidance and instruction in the various computer systems found in general practice today, in order to optimise the use of data for quality monitoring.