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Computer and Internet usage by Canadian dentists.
- Source :
-
Journal (Canadian Dental Association) [J Can Dent Assoc] 2006 Mar; Vol. 72 (2), pp. 145. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Objectives: To determine the frequency of computers in Canadian dental offices and to assess their use; to evaluate Internet access and use in Canadian dental offices; and to compare use of computers and the Internet by Canadian dentists, by the general public and by other dental groups.<br />Methods: An anonymous, self-administered survey of Canadian dentists was conducted by mail. A potential mailing list of 14,052 active Canadian dentists was compiled from the 2003 records of provincial regulatory bodies. For each province, 7.8% of the general dentists were randomly selected with the help of computer software. The surveys were mailed to this stratified random sample of 1,096 dentists.<br />Results: The response rate was 28%. Of the 312 respondents, 4 (1%) were in full-time academic positions, 15 (5%) were not practising, and 9 (3%) provided incomplete data. Therefore, 284 survey responses were available for descriptive analysis. Two hundred and fifty-seven (90%) of the respondents had a computer in their primary practice. Computers were used mainly for administrative tasks (accounting, bookkeeping and scheduling) rather than clinical tasks. Internet access was common (185/250 or 74%), and high-speed Internet access (93/250 or 37%) was increasingly common, judging from the results of previous studies on computer use. The main reasons given for not having in-office Internet access were security or privacy concerns and no reported need for or interest in the service.<br />Conclusions: Computer use was high in this sample of Canadian dentists, but a small proportion of dental offices remained without computers. Canadian dentists" use of the Internet was greater than that of American dentists, private enterprise and the North American public in general.
- Subjects :
- Canada
Dental Equipment statistics & numerical data
Humans
Middle Aged
Sampling Studies
Statistics, Nonparametric
Surveys and Questionnaires
Computers statistics & numerical data
Dentists statistics & numerical data
Internet statistics & numerical data
Practice Management, Dental statistics & numerical data
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1488-2159
- Volume :
- 72
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal (Canadian Dental Association)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 16545175