The use of COMFORTS in a genetics clinic.

COMFORTS adequately meets the criteria that led to the establishment of FOMERS: data on patients are cross-indexed by name, diagnosis, and pedigree number. However, because COMFORTS utilizes the memory and sorting capabilities of a computer, it is more easily used for large databases than is FOMERS. Alphabetizing records by name in a file; adding, deleting, or modifying diagnostic categories; and assigning and sequencing pedigree numbers are easy when the work is shared with a computer. The ease with which data can be entered, changed, or deleted was shown in the foregoing description of the program. Ease of use is only one aspect of COMFORTS; expanded facility for research is equally important. Of particular interest in this latter regard is the Cardinal Sign field of COMFORTS. COMFORTS also has features that facilitate scheduling and generation of demographic reports.