Looking for Spreadsheet with Multi-user Editing

I'm looking for a spreadsheet that allows multi-user editing. I'm not sure if it is Excel or the settings for the directory on our server, but we have excel spreadsheets placed in a directory for numerous users to pull up and edit. For example each department has a file where they update patient information. However, somehow the file becomes corrupted, it comes up as READ ONLY and cannot be opened. Thus our nurses LOSE TONS of information entered in to these spreadsheets.

Currently i have them back up changes on their own computers and I've broken the files up into different months so they don't lose everything. This is only a temporary solution and if i had to go back and recreate a file from several computers, taht could take hours.

Please have some good suggestions. I want something all users can access and it will not be a violation of healthcare privacy standards.

I've seen something on Google spreadsheets but I'm not sure they can be saved on the server or if it has to be open to the WWW.

You can set it as a Shared Workbook.

In Excel 2003 and earlier...
Go to "Tools > Share Workbook..."

In Excel 2007...
Go to "Review > Share Workbook


Check the box to "Allow changes by more then one user at the same time...

Thanks RobDog! I'm going to read a little more on this to make sure it is safe and will not create deletion errors and update errors. It is rare i would think that someone would be editing the same row but it is possible.

I'm going to give this a try!

I have a number of "Shared" workbooks on network drives, and they have been out there for years (through various versions of Excel) and no one has had a problem with doing any editing.

With Shared workbooks if multiple users edit the sheet a merge wizard comes up. Then you can accept certain changes or not etc. Not complicated either.

Great! Thanks guys!