" Required fields and poor UI design are certainly responsible for some of this, but the biggest culprit is simply having to input data into a machine rather than scribble on a piece of paper (or, in a pinch, a bedsheet, the clinician's arm, or the wall for later transcription.)"
You've actually hit upon the biggest problem with paper records, and one of the biggest reasons EHRs are useful (at a more abstracted level than the clinician). A scribble on a piece of paper, bedsheet or wall isn't a record. The piece of paper can be lost, the handwriting mis-interpreted (is that 30 or 50 mg? A pretty important question when dealing with prescribing!), and there is no effective record of who made what decision when (vital for finding out what went wrong when things do). I agree that a hard to use system takes clinicians away from their secondary task, dealing with patients face-to-face (I put their primary task as actually making them better), and nobody likes paper work, but this is the task for designers, creating a system that is not only accurate and safe, but also removes a lot of burden from the user. Transcription is useful when it comes to sending letters as these are frequently not time-essential tasks, it is not useful where a delay in getting data into the system may result in insufficient, or incorrect care being given. If I can be slightly snarky at the US system for a moment (and given the recent attacks on the NHS from the US, I feel I am justified), it feels like the system for care in the US is completely driven by money. Insurance costs, billing systems, etc seem to take pre-eminence over the actual care the patient receives. Until that sea shift is made, I cannot see EHR systems in the US being any more than advanced billing systems with some healthcare tagged on. Gk. Gregor Kiddie Senior Developer INPS Tel: 01382 564343 Registered address: The Bread Factory, 1a Broughton Street, London SW8 3QJ Registered Number: 1788577 Registered in the UK Visit our Internet Web site at www.inps.co.uk The information in this internet email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access, copying or re-use of information in it by anyone else is not authorised. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of INPS or any of its affiliates. If you are not the intended recipient please contact is.helpd...@inps.co.uk ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
