Dear Doc.

Dear Doc is a physical therapy documentation program designed for use with Microsoft Word for Windows wordprocessing software. It provides templates for producing initial evaluation reports, referral for treatment and medical necessity forms, progress letters, and discharge status summaries. The template consists of a series of dialog boxes in which the user can enter information either by selecting check boxes for preprogrammed text, or typing in customized text. This information is then automatically compiled into letter format that the user can edit, save, and print. The program is easily installed onto the hard drive using an install executable file that is included on the software diskette. in addition to the hardware and software requirements previously stated, the program requires an IBM-compatible computer, 5K of hard drive space, and 8.6M for Word for Windows 6.0. This software review was performed on an IBM-compatible computer 486 DX-2 66 MHz with 16M RAM and Word for Windows version 6.0.

Dear Doc is accessed within the Word for Windows program. Once the template is opened, the user is guided through the information entry process by a series of pop-up dialog boxes. Information can be entered under any or all of the following subheadings: subjective, history, functional abilities/impairments, objective tests, comments/assessments, treatment plan, and goals. Information is entered via mouse inputs or keyboard entries. Customized text can be added throughout die process under any subheading by typing in the text boxes. After all information has been entered, the document is compiled and the user can then edit the letter. The template is well for-matted, generally user-friendly, and requires minimal prior computer knowledge. The process tends to be rather slow for the first few documents produced but becomes less cumbersome with experience. Data entry can be streamlined by using the included initial evaluation form that follows the same format as the template. Information can then be transferred from the form to the template by someone other than the therapist.

Trial runs of this software to produce initial evaluation reports took approximately 30 minutes. With experience, it took 20 to 25 minutes. The program does produce a well-organized and professionally appearing document. Minimal to no typing is required. The instruction manual is well organized and easy to understand.

A major limitation of this software is that it must be used in conjunction with the Word for Windows word-processing program. This precludes its use with Wordperfect and other DOS-based wordprocessing software and any Macintosh software, including MS Word for the Macintosh. Therefore, if the user does not already use Word for Windows he or she will be required to purchase this software. My attempts to convert this file to other formats, or to use it in other word-processing programs, were unsuccessful. If the user accesses the template in Word for Windows 2.0, he or she will find several limitations not found in the 6.0 version. In light of this, users may want to upgrade to access all of the template's capabilities.

Despite the software's capabilities to save therapist information, physician information, and patient information for use with future documents, I was unable to successfully perform this task. Documents produced were consistently three to four pages long and required some editing to decrease their length to a more appropriate number of pages. Documents may be decreased in length by deleting blank lines between subheadings. Range of motion and strength measurements are printed in tables that are easy to read but lengthen the report considerably. Entering customized text entered in the dialog boxes sometimes requires a space or period to be placed after the last word entered. If text is not entered correctly, the final document may have periods and spaces missing, which requires further editing.

If therapists are responsible for producing their own documentation and physician correspondence, this program may be their ticket to sanity. The cost is not prohibitive unless the user is required to purchase Word for Windows or wishes to upgrade versions. This limitation is, in my opinion, the biggest drawback of the software. If therapists currently utilize a transcriptionist to produce correspondence, this program may be more time-consuming, as the therapist is required to enter information. If the therapist uses the included initial evaluation form and the information is entered by a transcriptionist, the form needs to be edited by specific body part to decrease its length.

This program is a step ahead of other computer-assisted documentation tools, including bar code scanners and SOAP note writers. If expediency is the intent, the old-fashioned method of dictation and transcription may still be the method of choice.

Michael Buck, PT, ATC Ithaca College Ithaca, NY

Mr Buck is a clinical instructor in the physical therapy department at Ithaca College. He teaches courses on biomechanics, physical agents, evaluation and treatment of patients with low back pain, and sports and orthopedic injuries.