In the United States in the early 1990s, over one trillion paper documents are created each year (Bogue, 1990). Of those paper documents, only 130 billion are discarded each year. Thus, 970 billion new permanent or semi permanent paper documents are created each year. These documents require enormous amounts of storage space, and require the expenditure of enormous amounts of human, physical, and financial resources each year for maintenance. This current study examined the potential for an increased application of micrographics particularly microfilm technology as a strategy for improving the efficiency and reducing the costs associated with the creation, use, and maintenance of document files.
This current study dealt directly with the creation, use, and maintenance of patient files for Emergency Medical Clinics, Incorporated, a four clinic facility organization located in the Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area. At the time this study was conducted, the organization maintained two full sets of patient files. One set of the files was maintained in a computer data base, while the second set of files was maintained as paper based and x ray files stored in fire proof cabinets. The paper based and x ray patient records were, at the time this study was conducted, exceeding both the space available for record storage in the physical plant of the organization, and the fire proof storage cabinets available for such storage.
The purpose of this current study was twofold. First, this study assessed the feasibility of converting the paper based and x ray patient records to a microfilm format. Feasibility, in this context, referred to operational usefulness of the patient records, and the legal acceptability of patient records maintained on microfilm. Second, this study assessed efficiency benefits to the organization of converting the paper based and x ray patient records to a microfilm format. Efficiency was considered in ...