Dr. Unger’s guest editorial, “Med students: Look up from your EMRs” (J Fam Pract. 2015;64:517-518), vividly describes what those who have been paying attention see quite clearly: Not only has the widespread implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) failed to deliver all it has promised, but it has made patient care worse. Many students and members of the health care team spend as little time as possible talking and listening to patients. Instead, the goal is to complete every box in our EMRs to qualify for meaningful use payments and whatever “quality” incentives are available in our local environment.
That said, I believe EMRs are very good at doing the things computers do well, and I hope I never again have to rifle through a paper chart the size of a phone book to find a critical piece of information. The problem lies in the myriad inappropriate ways the EMR is used in place of accurately telling the patient’s story, and the resulting diversion of the entire health care team away from caring for the patients we are supposedly here to serve.
I am tired of complaining to my patients, partners, family, friends, and anyone else who will listen. It is time for family medicine to reclaim its role as “counterculture” and lead the charge for comprehensive, continuous, compassionate care—whose centerpiece is actually talking to, listening to, and examining patients.
David A. Silverstein, MD
Buffalo, NY
While I agree with Dr. Unger about EMRs, I respectfully disagree with his approach when he suspected he had appendicitis. When he initially ordered his own computed tomography scan, rather than seeing his own doctor or going to the emergency department, he (inadvertently) “assigned” himself as his own doctor. He then should have at least offered his history in the hospital, rather than making it a test for the student and the hospital. It sounds like an adversarial situation developed, which did not help matters. Good that he’s doing OK!
Michael Kelly, MD
Minneapolis, Minn