Time differences in handwritten and computer documentation of nursing assessment.

The increasing burden of documentation on nurses and the advent of improved computer technology prompted the development of a bedside documentation system. The time required for documentation of the nursing assessment and the number of observations recorded by the computer were compared with handwritten documentation. The time required for computer documentation using default charting of nursing assessment was significantly less than the time required for handwritten documentation. The number of observations recorded by computer was significantly greater than the number of observations recorded by hand.