Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age
I am no doctor. That ship has long sailed, much to the dismay of my parents. I am, however, heavily involved in IT support for hospitals. Yet, the term Digital Doctor didn’t even come to mind until I read this book and felt I had an epiphany. Funny how life works, isn’t it?
Putting two and two together, The Digital Doctor by Dr. Robert Wachter was right up my alley. It is almost surreal to observe how far medicine has come in the 21st century alone. The field has seen significant advances in the development of pharmaceuticals, the improved science behind our understanding of disease, and of course, the tools we employ to take care of the sick.
There is no doubt technology, and computers in particular, have revolutionized the way we work and interact with each other. For the longest time, however, medicine was the child left behind. Hospitals with wall-to-wall shelves of paper records were a common sight not too long ago. All of that changed with the introduction of the HITECH Act thanks to former President Barack Obama. The intent was to stimulate the economy after the 2008 recession by granting healthcare organizations billions (yes, with a b) of dollars to go electric.
The Digital Doctor: Identity Crisis?
One has to be appreciate the balanced approach by which Dr. Wachter tackles the new identity crisis clinicians face. Not everything is always a technical solution, nor does every innovation fulfill its promises of change and efficiency. The author goes at length to make a case for physicians who spend hours upon hours transcribing data into electronic medical records (EMRs) who feel like they have become nothing more than data entry clerks.
And that is fair. We speak of technology as it is an automation dream and will always make our lives easier. And with healthcare applications like PACS (Patient Archiving and Communications System), it has. It would be hypocritical to exclude the instances and current “make work” tools in place that go against this ethos.
Recommendation: Nerd Out
There is hardly anything that yells out Nerd! more than combining traditional medicine with 21st century technology. This book provides parallels that just about every profession can appreciate. Technology has had an affect on us all, and it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on pros and cons.
