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The digitisation of everyday life is becoming more and more common as is our reliance on the availability of accurate and current information. Even in the healthcare industry it has become essential to convert information on paper to a digital form to increase operations. After all, whether you run a hospital in Sydney or a small clinic in the Outback, it's still a business. And where business is concerned, time is money. Spending hours on data capturing can therefore amount to increased costs. One way to reduce the amount spent is by using Optical Mark Software that accurately interprets the result on multiple-choice forms quickly and effectively.

Optical Mark Recognition, also known as OMR is a software system that marks the answer section of "bubble" sheets or multiple-choice forms. It does this by analysing the answer section of scanned-in documents, after which the results are transferred to a database to be linked to a patient record. This functionality is especially efficient when it comes to multiple-choice psychometric tests, psychological tests, general patient assessments, etc.

The Optical Mark Benefit

Completed patient questionnaires are marked and analysed, almost instantly. And, depending on the OMR package you choose, the data can then be made available to other applications, by allowing access to the program's database. Not only does this increase operational efficiency, but it will allow your staff members to focus their attentions on other areas of your practice, clinic, hospital... business.

The real secret to success of OMR lies in the design of the templates to be used. After the form template (the questionnaire) has been designed, you'll be able to "tell" the software how to interpret the results and store them accordingly in the database. This can effectively reduce data entry and data analysis time by as much as 90%.

Both new and existing patients can be assigned a unique ID, which the software will then use to associate the scanned form with the correct database record. Alternatively, a simple http://www.kiva.org/lender/freepersonalitytest grid can be created on a form template (to be printed out and photocopied) that will allow each patient to mark his or her identity- or social security number, to be recognized by the system once the completed form is scanned in.

OMR for HR, Marketing Surveys and More

The potential of OMR software for any business is immense. Even in the health care field, businesses are using the software not only for patient assessments, but also to evaluate potential staff members (in the case of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and similar tests) and to rate the customer service of current employees. Marketing departments of institutes and hospitals use OMR software to design marketing questionnaires that will help improve the efficacy of marketing campaigns. In short, when correctly employed, OMR software not only saves money, but has the potential to help your health care business thrive financially.

Lynn Moffat is the content manager for FormReturn Optical Mark Recognition Software, an industry leading OMR software solution for Patient Assessments.. in Health Care.