Will we see automated record keeping systems in common use in anesthesia during our lifetime? The automated anesthetic record is inevitable and valuable.

The automated anesthetic record is inevitable for at least three reasons: First, much of the information is in electronic form. Second, all the necessary tools for transferring this information into a computer and hence onto a piece of paper are already available. Third, the need for an improvement over the current way of keeping records is widely recognized. Manual records are often inaccurate, biased, incomplete, and illegible, and they divert attention from more important tasks of the anesthetist. Although automated record keeping will not produce perfection, it will improve the situation enough to justify the effort.