Opinion
Pen and paper still best for now
LETTER — Posted Sept. 10, 2007
Regarding: "EMRs don't guarantee quality care" (Article, Aug. 13): Glad to see that a study of 50,000 records revealed that pen-and-paper physicians can and do still get the job done right. Having lived through the expense of an electronic medical record system with a vendor that went bankrupt, I will not rush back to the EMR yet.
I don't know of any physicians who aren't digital, for filing, accounting and getting paid. I also don't know of any industry where the boss does all of the typing; certainly the last time I used a bank, it was not the CEO entering my deposit.
The biggest failure so far in the EMR is that the physician has become the transcriptionist, and unless one is very fast at the keyboard, that is a waste of valuable time.
As a gynecologist, I found that a templated visit left much to be desired. I am still waiting for true voice-recognition software and until then, I will depend on the skill of a good typist.
In the meantime, I remain as president, CEO, IT specialist, computer builder, network and software supplier, and in between all of this, physician and healer.
Robert Frischer, MD, Wichita Falls, Texas
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/09/10/edlt0910.htm.
