Reply With QuoteMy wife is a doctor and she has worked in hospitals where all the records were computerized and in hospitals still using the old paper system. She hates the old paper system because what tends to happen is the records get fragmented and then put all over the place - in the nurses station, by the patients bed, down in the X-ray room, in the nurses pocket etc. For example, a doctor may prescribe some medications and the nurse writes it down on a scrap of paper and puts it in her pocket meaning to add it to the chart when she finds it. But then my wife comes along for a consult and first she has to find the chart which is still in the X-ray department but she doesn't know that because she doesn't have the chart to tell her that the patient went for an xray. So she eventually tracks down the chart by bothering all the nurses who are usually very busy and overworked, When she gets the chart she has no idea what the latest prescription is because there is no guarantee that the record in the chart is up to date. So she then has to track down the nurse to find out if any medications have been prescribed that are not in the chart. And good luck if that nurse has finished her shift. Its a complete gong show. My wife reckons she spends more time trying to find all the records than actually tending to patients.
With a fully computerized system, the records are never lost, are always accessible and are always up to date because the doctor will put the prescription straight into the computer, possibly through an Iphone or Ipad, right at the time the patient is seen and the nurse is not allowed to get medications unless the doctor has entered them into the system. The nurse then knows the exact dosage and timing because she is not relying on a scribbled note and the system can be set up to warn you if the dosage prescribed is unusual or contraindicated. Also, the hospital pharmacist has easy access to the records and can quickly check if the prescription is appropriate for that patient. Furthermore, you can add a bracelet to the patient that has to be swiped every time you give them a medication so you are sure you have the right patient and the right medication. It is so vastly superior to paper records - its not even close.
I am sure not all computerized systems are created equal and you may have been witnessing a situation where the staff was still learning a new system, but once a good electronic system is up and running and everyone is trained on it, it is absolutely no contest for speed, efficiency and accuracy. It also cuts down on doctor and nurse burnout. In fact, I am surprised that the professional liability insurers for doctors have not insisted they work only with computerized charts.
