CD-ROM use by rural physicians

A survey of 131 eastern Washington rural family physicians showed that 59.5% owned a personal computer with a CD-ROM drive. There was an inverse correlation between the physicians' years in practice and computer ownership: 10 years or less (80.6%), 11 to 20 years (72.2%), 21 to 30 years (55.6%), and more than 30 years (32.4%). Those physicians who owned a computer used their CD-ROM for entertainment (52.6%), medical textbooks (44.9%), literature searching software (25.6%), drug information (17.9%), continuing medical education (15.4%), and journals on CD-ROM (11.5%). Many rural doctors who owned computers felt that CD-ROM software helped them provide better patient care (46.8%) and kept them current on new information and techniques (48.4%). Indications for medical education, libraries and CD-ROM publishers are noted.