My friend Joe is a retired astrophysicist turned web geek. Joe’s had his health problems, but he’s still an avid bicycle rider as well as one of the most well read persons I’ve ever known. He doesn’t miss much, and always has his own – often original – take on politics, the economy, the net and a lot else.
There is one topic where his take echoes many others. He never fails to send me posts about how EHRs interfere in the doctor – patient relationship. He just loathes it when his doc spends time keying away rather than making eye contact.
Joe knows I get pretty wound up on EHR usability and interop problems, but that just makes me an even better target for his disgruntlement. He, of course, has a point as do so many others who’ve lamented that what was once a two way conversation has become a three way with the patient the loser.
The point, I think, only goes so far. What’s going on in these encounters is more than the introduction of an attention sucking PC. It’s simply wrong to assume that medical encounters were all done the same warm and fuzzy way until EHRs came along. To understand EHRs’ effect from a patient’s perspective, I think we need to ask ourselves several questions about our EHR involved medical appointments.
- Whose Appointment Is It? Are you there alone, with an elderly parent, your spouse or your child, etc.?
- Appointment’s Purpose. Why are you there? Is it for a physical, is it due to bad cold, a routine follow up or is it for a perplexing question? Is it with a specialist, pre or post op?
- Your Relationship. How long and how well have you know this doctor? How many doctors have you had in the past few years?
- How Long Has It Been? When was the last time you saw your doctor, days, weeks, years? How much catching up is there to do?
- Doc’s Actions. What’s your doc doing on the EHR, looking for labs, going over your meds, writing notes, writing prescriptions, ordering tests, checking drug interactions? How many of these would have been impossible or difficult on paper?
- Money. How much time does your doc take trying to save you money finding generics, looking at what your insurance covers, etc.?
Many EHRs have usability problems and many have been implemented poorly. As with all technological innovations in professional settings though, they often create longing for the good old days, which may never had existed. We need to remember that medical records could not continue to exist as paper records written more as reminders than searchable, definitive records.
EHRs have changed provider’s roles. They have to create records not just for themselves, their partners, etc., but also for other providers and analysts they may never meet. As patients, we also need to understand that EHRs, like word processing, cell phones, and the internet itself are far from perfect. Banishing them may allow more personal time for you, but what will it mean for your care, your doctor or for the next patient?
