Doctors, especially trainees, often use diaries or logs to keep a
record of the procedures they perform. Depending on its purpose,
an entry can be accompanied by a description of the physician’s
role, the name of an observer, an indication of whether it was
done properly and a list of complications. This is a reasonable
way to collect volume data and an acceptable alternative to clinical
practice record abstraction until progress is made with the electronic
medical record.