The electronic locum record for general practitioners: outcome of an evaluation study in the Netherlands.

Background: A locum practitioner is an out-of-hours general practitioner who needs access to the electronic health record of visiting patients. The electronic locum record is a summary of the electronic health record available to the locum practitioner and includes the most significant health problems, the most recent records of the patient's visits to the practice, current medication data and information on allergies and intolerances. The locum practitioner returns a locum medical note to the electronic health record at the general practitioner with his or her diagnosis, treatment or referral of the visiting patient.