How EMRs Can Harm the Doctor/Patient Relationship

[Sarah Willey]

When I read yesterday's blog post by KevinMD, I couldn't help but think about my recent visit to my PCP. As we all know, EMRs are going to be a part of every practice soon. But he reminds us that "one of the problems of the current crop of EMRs is how they obstruct the doctor-patient relationship."

I would have to agree with that. Back to my recent trip to the physician (whose name I will not reveal), she walked in with a laptop. When I went to shake her hand, she said, I haven't washed them yet. I won't knock her for the hand-washing, BUT, she never looked me in the eye. She was staring at her computer screen ignoring me, even when I we were having a conversation. It was as if I wasn't in the room. The entire visit was awkward.

Needless to say, the advice I want to give my physicians is that patients need to feel comforted and feel like we're being listened to. It's a preventative step toward keeping the doctor/patient relationship a healthy one.

 

 

[Jackie Hanley]

Good points, Sarah! I have been in similar situations with MDs. I think there is a balance to strike here. I'm all about efficiency, but there are so many non-verbal clues that can help a physician to accurately diagnose and treat a patient, clues that could very well be missed if the physician is too busy on the laptop during the visit. I do like when the physician listens to me closely, and then records our visit and conversation in the computer after.