Junior doctors' strange love of information technology

Dr Holloway (Psychiatric Bulletin, July 2005, 29, 241–243) suggests that the education of the current generation of psychiatric trainees has emphasised information technology skills which psychiatrists of an older generation may be reluctant to embrace. A survey of 75 mental health doctors in Lincolnshire with a response rate of 64% (n=48, 38 males, 10 females, mean age=41 years, s.d.=10) confirmed that the overall knowledge of information technology was better among senior house officers (SHOs) and specialist registrars (SpRs) (n=18, 37.5%) than consultants and staff grade doctors (n=30, 62.5%). For example, 17 out of 18 SHOs and SpRs (94%) rated their knowledge of PowerPoint as good to excellent compared with 13 out of 30 consultants and staff grade doctors (43%; P<0.001). Significant statistical differences were found between the two groups in the use of Excel (61 v. 29%, P=0.05) and searching medical databases (89 v. 60%, P=0.049). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the use of Word (94 v. 76%) and Outlook Express (72 v. 67%). Use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was limited in both groups (33 v. 20%). Consultants and staff grades did, however, use the trust’s electronic patient information system more frequently than junior doctors (43 v. 17%). Perhaps the eventual introduction of electronic care records will lead any remaining reluctant psychiatrists into the information age.