Saturday, October 26, 2013

EMR being updated during a doctor’s visit remind me of texting while driving

Yesterday I had my first appointment with my new internist as a follow up to my hospitalization in Sept. (my doctor is no longer seeing patients). If there's something more off-putting than having a doctor you trust and have known for years staring at a computer screen, it's got to be having no eye-contact and puzzled looks with one you don't know at all while she's reading and trying to figure out what's in your electronic record. It's like trying to have an intimate conversation with someone browsing their smart phone and never looking up. Upon leaving my appointment, I stepped on the elevator with someone reading her phone; she looked up when I spoke to her, smiled, and looked back at the phone and we continued in silence. I think I know her about as well as my new doctor.

Over 80% of EHR systems force the doctor to enter and manage the data in cumbersome, inflexible and artificial fashions that rarely reflect the true nature of the doctor-patient experience. Physicians have often adapted and learned how to be “texting” while driving through patient encounters, but many patients are increasingly uneasy with the situation where they don’t have the full attention of their doctors.

http://focusonthepatient.com/2013/03/10/emrehr-monsters/

Texting While Driving is now the leading cause of death for teens:
1. Makes you 23X more likely to crash – National Hwy Transportation Safety Admin.
2. Is the same as driving blind for 5 seconds at a time – VA. Tech Transportation Institute
3. Takes place by 800,000 drivers at any given time across the country
4. Slows your brake reaction speed by 18% – HumanFactors & Ergonomics Society
5. Leads to a 400% increase with eyes off the road

http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/

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