Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

3 ways health IT impedes communication

Suneel Dhand, MD
Tech
August 10, 2017
154 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

As many of you know, much of my focus has been on how we can improve health care information technology, and build on the systems that we currently have to make them more user-friendly and less cumbersome. At the crux of the problem is the issue of the disproportionate amount of time they take to navigate and how they turn the noble and personable art of being a doctor, into some type of data-entry clerk and box-ticking exercise.

Central to this concern is the question of what being a physician should really be about — and by extension — the very nature of health care itself (the doctor-patient interaction being at the center of all health care delivery). A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how in health care, communication is everything. Here are three ways that information technology currently impedes good communication:

1. The doctor who is glued to their computer screen. One of the biggest complaints I hear from patients is how their doctor hardly looks at them in the eye anymore during office visits. Patients want nothing more than a good face-to-face talk with their physician (and whatever the future holds, at least for the next 30 years or so, we will still be dealing with that generation who wants and values good old-fashioned direct communication!). From the doctor’s perspective, what used to be a quick 2-minute note, has turned into monstrous, endless rows of tick boxes that need to be filled out for every patient. I have devised my own techniques as a hospital doctor for getting away from the computer and staying true to the ideals of good medicine.

2. Assuming that what we see in the computer is 100 percent accurate. I have been in countless situations where patients have informed me, irritated, that what’s in the computer is wrong, and keeps carelessly being copied over again and again. In the past, for example, the physician would simply confirm by just asking the patient what medications they were on. Now we tend to bypass this, and just blindly trust what’s in the computer. At best, this takes a few minutes to rectify. At worst, it’s a safety issue. A common scenario is the patient who complains to me that as they go through the hospital, doctors just keep “believing” the computer medication list, and despite them continuously requesting to update it — it never is! Every doctor has probably seen a situation like this.

3. Physicians talking to each other. Previously, physicians would interact much more with each other in the hospital. Whether it was on the floors, or the small amount of free time they had to sit in the doctors’ lounge, cases would be discussed and treatment decisions shared. Instead, when doctors do now get each others’ opinions, it’s only the digital footprint that’s on the computer. This exacerbates “Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen Syndrome.” Medicine often has more grey than black and white, and it’s so important that collegial interactions and discussions are still happening on a daily basis.

The above are just three examples of what excessive and cumbersome information technology has done to health care. This is not to lessen or belittle the amazing advantages that technology has also brought, including the ability to rapidly search and retrieve information (remember those bad old days of piles of charts and illegible handwriting?). But we need to remember that health care is above all else, a human profession — where personal contact and communication must be maintained, valued and promoted.

Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician and author of three books, including Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha. He is the founder and director, HealthITImprove, and blogs at his self-titled site, DocThinx.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Life can be meaningful even in the midst of residency

August 10, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

How the show 13 Reasons Why can help you in the exam room

August 10, 2017 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Health IT, Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Life can be meaningful even in the midst of residency
Next Post >
How the show 13 Reasons Why can help you in the exam room

More by Suneel Dhand, MD

  • The dream patient that makes a doctor very happy

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • When the family wants to speak to the doctor

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • 3 reasons why patients are unhappy

    Suneel Dhand, MD

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • America leads the world in high tech care and health care costs

    Mark Kelley, MD
  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton

More in Tech

  • AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

    Shiv Rao, MD
  • AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

    Michael Kirsch, MD
  • The need for adaptability is imperative in the era of artificial intelligence

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Harnessing the power of gamification in mental health apps

    Carter Do and Thomas Pak, MD, PhD
  • Leveraging ChatGPT’s high IQ to assist doctors

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Report: Persistence of Gender Inequalities in Cancer Care, and a Call to Action
  • Cancer Risk in NAFLD Higher With Early Disease Onset
  • FDA Displeased With Companies Purposely Adding Sesame to More Foods
  • COVID Vax Appointment Cancelled? New Shot Rollout Faces Challenges
  • Medical Residents Receive 100+ Job Offer Contacts, Survey Shows

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...