A recent study from JAMA Internal Medicine documents that in many cases in which a patient has died, the electronic medical record – the baseline truth for Big Healthcare Data – lists them as alive. Does the term "garbage in, garbage out" ring some bells?
EHR
"Medical scribes" transcribe information during clinical visits in real time into electronic health records (EHRs) under physician supervision. That frees physicians to focus on the patient.
Electronic Health Records, those over-hyped, energy and time-sucking billing algorithms sold to the American public and healthcare professionals as THE answer continues to search for some valuable clinical role. Clinical decision support are algorithms that scan our data and send timely reminders to our physicians to “Do the Right Thing.” While it may work well in the Ivory Towers, and even that is debatable, when taken out for a real-world test, clinical decision support is nowhere near ready for prime-time.
EPIC is arguably THE electronic health record system in the US with the most significant market share (56% of all patient records). Countless millions of federal money have passed into their corporate coffers during our transition to digital record keeping. Artificial intelligence, which is more sizzle than steak, at least medical care has been held out as a grail where the data held in electronic health records could be fashioned to improve medical care. A study from JAMA updates us on that particular marriage.
A new study channels Frederick Taylor, father of the “scientific management” of the workforce, bringing a stopwatch into the hospital to report on how physicians -- in this case -- first-year internal medicine residents, spend their day. Spoiler alert: they don't spend it at bedside.
The current troubles plaguing the giant airline manufacturer reveal that a greater societal problem. We are increasingly the servant -- rather than the master -- of our technologies.
A new report on the plight of practicing physicians reflects a broken system. Nearly half of physicians plan to change careers, so maybe it's finally time to include them in the discussion on healthcare fixes.