More than 4 in 5 Canadian physicians (84%) now use computers personally, up slightly from 79% in 1999, the CMA‚s 2000 Physician Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) indicates.
Female physicians, who have traditionally been less likely to use computers, are now virtually neck-and-neck with their male colleagues. In 1999, 73% of female physicians and 81% of male physicians personally used computers; today the proportions are 83% and 84%, respectively. Rural physicians lag only slightly behind their urban colleagues, with 81% reporting that they personally use computers, compared with 84% of urban doctors.
Computer use among physicians aged 65 and over remains unchanged from last year (54%), but for all other age groups the proportion has increased since 1999. The proportion of computer users among physicians younger than 45 is approaching 90%. The PRQ was mailed to a random sample of 8000 physicians. —