Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of an alphabetic filing system.

The alphabetic filing system has the following advantages:

 It is easy to learn.

 Staff members can be quickly trained.

 It does not require a master patient index.

 Record retrieval can be performed quickly.



Alphabetic filing systems have the following disadvantages:

 Misspelled patient names result in misfiling of records.

 Files do not expand at an even rate, causing reorganization of shelves.

 Patient names must be spelled correctly or the entire system will fail.

 When a patient's name changes, the patient record must be filed in a different location, and a cross-reference needs to be created.

 Record security is compromised.