One of the big differences you’ll notice in practice is the importance of the computer systems. The main systems are EMIS Web, SystmOne, and Vision. Athough all have the same basic functions, they differ in the layout, the functionality and the amount of additional content (such as built in medical reference texts, patient information leaflets, etc.) that they offer. On top of this, each practice may have customised the layout and added templates specific to that practice.

The computer systems are an integral part of general practice, in a much larger way than in most hospitals (where you may only use them for blood results and imaging via PACS). Many practices are paperlight or even paperless, with additional documents such as clinic letters, blood results and imaging reports being scanned and added to the electronic record by members of the practice staff. In some practice you will also use them to generate electronic prescriptions and sick notes.

Make sure you get adequate training in the first few days to at least manage the basic functions of the system – checking your appointments, adding and printing prescriptions (or sending them electronically), and entering blood pressure, weight and other measurements. You will find that you learn more as you go along, and you should be able to organise further training through the practice manager. Once you are familiar with the basic functions, you will learn the importance of coding your entries correctly, and of making a detailed entry into the records. You may also need to be trained on other software that links into the main record – such as DocMan which can be used to access letters and reports electronically.

Most systems have a whole host of advanced features. You can write your own referral letters with data from the medical record automatically transferred to Microsoft Word or other word processor. You can check a patient’s historical use of a drug to see if they are using too much or not complying. You can set up macros to make common tasks (such as entering BP) easier, and use templates to make sure you don’t forget to check important markers (like BP and smoking history for someone on the pill).

Another great thing about having a computer to hand is that you can quickly access reference texts online – there are many free resources available, and some of the clinical systems have extensive reference materials built into the system. Another common use is to print off relevant Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) to give out straight away – again, these are integrated and regularly updated with some of the clinical systems.

Finally, you can keep a list of problems and interesting patients that you see throughout the day, so you can discuss them with your trainer and do some reading later on. This is also important for appraisals. There are some excellent online tools for maintaining a Personal Development Plan (PDP), which can be used as part of your appraisal.