2. Survey on the benefits of computerizing physicians' practices (formmel)

SURVEY ON THE BENEFITS OF COMPUTERIZING PHYSICIANS' PRACTICES (FORMMEL)

ORGANIZATIONS IN CHARGE OF THE SURVEY

  • The FORMMEL's board of managers - the Reorientation and Modernization Fund for Private-Practice Medicine (Fonds de réorientation et de modernisation de la médecine libérale).
  • Irdes in collaboration with the IT department of the Cnam - the National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers.

SURVEY'S FOCUS

  • Identify the computer applications which are the most useful for private-practice medicine.
  • Sound physicians for recommendations concerning the available medical software.
  • Provide information on available software to help physicians make informed purchases.
  • Encourage software manufacturers to offer more useful and user-friendly products.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS 

Date of the survey

April 1999 to June 30, 2000

Scope of the survey

3,200 private-practice physicians (GPs and specialists) whose services are reimbursed by the national health insurance fund.

Sampling frame

Those surveyed were solicited volunteers

Method

After conducting a detailed analysis of the market, a list was drawn up of the various applications available. Ten of them were selected to be the object of a six-month evaluation (the ten are explained in detail in the survey's terms of reference).

Each participating physician volunteered to test two applications.

The evaluating physicians evaluated the two applications on a monthly basis.

The participating physicians were asked to:

  • fill out a reference questionnaire on his computer equipment and the use he made of it; this was done at the beginning of the survey period;
  • fill out two evaluation questionnaires pertaining to each of the two chosen applications; this was done monthly;
  • fill out the final questionnaire on the overall experience; this was done at the end of the six-month survey period;

The Irdes participated in the drafting of the questionnaires and received the returned questionnaires at its website. The Irdes then handled the necessary follow-ups: sending questionnaires by e-mail, sending reminders to tardy physicians, establishing procedures for dealing with questionnaires returned late or of questionable reliability, fielding technical questions posed by participating physicians concerning the filling out or content of the questionnaires.

The Irdes processed the returned questionnaires as they came in and published the preliminary results and a definitive report.