The Comparative Utility of a File Cabinet Program vs a General Statistical Program in Micro-Computer Management and Analysis of Clinical Nursing Data

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of two microcomputer software packages in the storage, retrieval, and analysis of clinical and nursing research data on a hospital neonatal special care unit. The programs discussed are: the PFS Package (The Personal Filing System, Report, and Graph); and A-Stat. The comparison was done using an Apple II Plus and supporting peripherals. Examples of the uses of each program in the clinical setting are described and comparisons made in terms of the different needs they meet. The PFS package was much more applicable to patient data management and was more user friendly for inexperienced computer users. A-Stat provides much more sophisticated statistical options, but is limited in the variety of non-parametric tests necessitated by the small sample sizes common in clinical nursing research studies.