Portable file management system in FORTRAN.

It has been generally considered that FORTRAN is inferior to MUMPS and other computer languages in its facility to manipulate files and that it is not satisfactorily competent to handle databases. However, it is our finding that FORTRAN is the most widely used language in patient data management systems discussed in recently published papers. Therefore, it now seems appropriate to review and evaluate the validity of this general belief. The objective of this study is to establish a file management system in FORTRAN 77 for use in the construction of a clinical database. Comparative study is conducted on several problems associated with file manipulation, that is, time requirement for file access and access methods for data retrieval.