General practice is leading the way in terms of incorporating the advances of information technology (IT) into day-to-day medicine. Currently, most GP surgeries share information about patients across an interconnected network and this information is available on an intranet. Patient information is computerised and their notes, blood tests, and clinic letters are accessible at the touch of a button. Moreover, telephone consultations enable GPs to triage patients and give clinical advice successfully. This is a far cry from hospital medicine where there is hardly any integration of patient information across different software programs. For example, it is not uncommon to find patient blood tests results, imaging results, and clinic letters on separate programs and their notes in giant folders in the corner of hospital wards. It is clear who is keeping pace with technology and who is falling behind.
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