
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bomba, David 
A1  - Svardsudd, Kurt 
A1  - Kristiansson, Per 
T1  - A comparison of patient attitudes towards the use of computerised medical records and unique identifiers in Australia and Sweden
JF  - Australian Journal of Primary Health
JO  - Aust. J. Prim. Health
Y1  - 2004
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
SP  - 36
EP  - 42
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/PY04024 
N2  - This article compares the attitudes of Australian and Swedish patients towards the use of computerised medical records and unique identifiers in medical practices in Australia and Sweden. A Swedish translation of an Australian survey was conducted and results were compared. Surveys were distributed to patients at a medical practice in Sweden in 2003 and compared to the results of an Australian study by Bomba and Land (2003). Results: Based on the survey samples (Australia N=271 and Sweden N=55), 91% of Swedish respondents and 78% of Australian respondents gave a positive appraisal of the use of computers in health care. Of the Swedish respondents, 93% agreed that the computer-based patient record is an essential technology for health care in the future, while 86% of the Australian respondents agreed. Overwhelmingly, 95% of Swedish respondents and 91% of Australian respondents stated that the use of computers did not interfere with the doctor-patient consultation. Both groups preferred biometric identification as the method for uniquely identifying patients but differed in their preferred method to store medical information - a combination of central database and smart card for Australian respondents and central database for Swedish respondents. This analysis indicates that patient attitudes towards the use of computerised medical records and unique identifiers in Australia and Sweden are positive; however, there are concerns over information privacy and security. These concerns need to be taken into account in any future development of a national computer health network. 
ER  -

