Comments on EMR

From SacBee.com

Not long ago, I regularly coached students and residents that during their patient encounters, they should put their papers and notes aside and listen to the person -- look them in the eyes. There was so much more to be learned by having doctors use their eyes as well as their ears.

Today, a flat-screen computer sits between the doctor and the patient -- just as a fence divides two neighbors. My students and residents -- like doctors around the country -- are slaves to the computer and electronic medical records. If you've not had the experience of sitting across from your doctor as she or he types your medical history into the computer, then just wait, as it is likely coming. One health-care expert calls the push for the electronic medical record (or EMR, as it is called in medical circles) the search for medicine's holy grail.