In all the talk about about electronic medical records (EMRs) sometimes there are reactions that have little to do with what policy and techie wonks see as their value. Such is the case with Richard L. Reece, MD, a pathologist, who writes:
Personally, I don’t hanker to go to a doctor to have my problems documented. There are certain personal things I want to keep personal. I want the doctor to pay attention to me, not to the computer. To me documenting isn’t the same as doctoring. As David Pallestrant, MD, founder of Sermo, commented to me, “Having a computer in the room changes the chemistry of the doctor-patient relationship.” And as one VA (Veterans Administration) patient said to me, “ I hate to go the VA. The doctor is always sitting behind that damn computer.”
This speaks for a need for some good old fashion phenomenological studies of the “office visit” and the dynamics therein when you introduce computers into the fray of the doctor-patient exchange. With economic pressure already squeezing the patient’s quality time with their doctor, it’s not surprising that there might be some jealousy over the new mistress.
