'Flaw' in Electronic Health Record Blamed for Medical Error Involving Ebola Patient

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: dlbott

Is this implementation making things easier or more difficult?

I find it more difficult, personally.

Again, it may be great in a think-tank, in a tabletop discussion.

"It looks good on paper."

But in real life?

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Well i can only speak as to what sis tells me. She recently moved practice from new Mexico to California. And to her surprise, implementation of standards and electronic records are taking place. One of the things she did on the side for extra money is go over and sign off on records for other doctors. As you can imagine this puts you square in the middle of this subject.

She says it is happening, it is much better than before healthcare reform. Before there were no standards, especially across state lines or even institutions. It was on everyone's minds and they knew we needed it but no one wanted to take lead and even more no one wanted to pay for it. Well, the patients and the public pays in more ways than one, some with their lives.

Online digital real time records can and will save lives. Especially in the number one cause of accidental deaths, being given wrong medication or wrong dosage. These can be drastically reduced by systems that immediately inform you that the dosage is wrong or that the medication interacts with another etc etc etc.

For many this is a painful thing, change often is. But it is a good thing and will save lives.

The Bot

a reply to: CranialSponge
responding to:

Or did the doctor just grab the clipboard off of the door, walk in, have a quick glance at the guy, write up a prescription, and walk out the door without any form of communication ?

It has been a long time since I have seen a clipboard on a door. My hospitals and doctors offices hand patients an iPad. Each examining room has a computer to create instant records. My healthcare facilities are similar to my loved one who lives 5 states away, and set up their EMR program for the hospital they work for.

It is up to me as the patient to make sure I retell the doctor everything I told the nurse just incase a screen was missed. The doctor usually just clicks on current meds page.